Captains of Education Part 5: Sherelle French
Founder, The French Beauty Academy

Robina’s French Beauty Academy gives beauty school industry a makeover

As part of our ongoing ‘Captains of Education’ series, insideR sat down with Sherelle French, visionary and founder behind The French Beauty Academy – one of Australia’s leading  beauty schools, situated right here in Robina.

Sherelle shares with insideR the philosophy behind the Academy, why university isn’t the only pathway to a successful career, and why Robina is the ideal location for the school.

Our interview with Sherelle continues after this CBDRobina video on The French Beauty Academy.

‘A finishing school for the soul’

After taking over the former Gold Coast Training Academy in 1986, The French Beauty Academy’s founder, Sherelle French, always wanted to disrupt the traditional education model by providing her students with world-class learning facilities and fostering self-esteem, confidence and personal growth.

The Academy has since made a name for itself as Australia’s premier beauty academy, with over 500 students across two campuses in Robina, and a brand new academy launching in Brisbane last year.

Sherelle said The French Beauty Academy’s flagship program, the nationally recognised  Diploma of Beauty Therapy and Diploma of Screen and Media, focused on all facets of beauty training, including dermal therapies, makeup, massage, salon, nails, hair, film and television, and how to own and operate an independent business.

“We are passionate believers in mentoring our students in the value of presentation, deportment, self-awareness, manners and grace,” she said.

“At The French Beauty Academy, we are more than just a qualification pathway. We allow our students to discover the best parts of themselves – the motivated, compassionate features we all possess that, ultimately, can turn our dreams into reality.

“Our graduates are highly sought-after by major industry recruiters and companies, with many of our students going on to have incredibly successful careers in international film and television productions, salons all over the world, and starting their own independent businesses.

“At The French Beauty Academy, we like to think we’re a finishing school for the soul.”

Beauty schools aren’t just for university drop-outs

With a background in education, including her former role as General Manager at Bond University, Sherelle wanted to bring an ‘Ivy League approach’ to The French Beauty Academy.

“We provide top-tier educators, mentors and training facilities to ensure our students are fully equipped for an illustrious career in a beauty-related industry of their choosing,” she said.

“I thought, ‘why can’t we bring to the trade sector what a world-class university would bring to other industries?’

“University isn’t always the only pathway to a meaningful career and we are really seeking to disrupt the notion that beauty school is for ‘drop-outs’ or people not equipped for university.

“A successful education is more than just graduating with new skills applicable to an industry; it’s about self growth as an individual and taking on attributes that can be used throughout life.”

Robina, an education hotspot

After gaining in popularity, The French Beauty Academy quickly outgrew its smaller campuses in Burleigh and Tweed Heads…so Sherelle began her search to find the ideal spot for a larger campus to cater for more students.

“We looked at a few locations for our new campus in 2013, and when we came across Robina, we knew it was the ideal fit,” she said.

“Robina and its surrounds are home to a suite of world-class education facilities and schools – including Bond University, Somerset College, Varsity College and All Saints Anglican School– so it felt a natural fit to make the central suburb home to The French Beauty Academy.

“The majority of our students live in the catchment between Tweed Heads and Coomera, so it was a no-brainer to settle in the centrally-located Robina, with its nearby access to the M1, train station and major transportation hubs, vibrant city centre, and shops and amenities just a stone’s throw from the Academy.

“When opening our brand new campus in Brisbane last year, we measured it against Robina and wanted the same level of access to transportation and amenities nearby that have made the Robina campus so amazing.”

insideR’s Captains of Education Series

Be sure to check out our previous issues of insideR where we spoke to:

Brisbane’s Courier Mail recently explored the benefits of new developments, such at Robina’s VUE Terrace Homes, being based in education hubs – Read more here.

Subscribe to insideR and receive our full series profiling the Gold Coast’s top education influencers, direct to your inbox over the coming months.