Kaiya Swain is ready to represent the UK in the WorldSkills Final

Sussex Downs College Beauty Therapy alumna Kaiya Swain is ready to represent the UK in the WorldSkills Final taking place in Abu Dhabi next month.

The WorldSkills Final is referred to as the Olympics of the education and skills training world, with rigorous training and the hope of a medal win for its 34 UK competitors. This October is the final hurdle for the competitors who have made it through to the final taking place in Abu Dhabi. Years of training, mastering their craft and honing their skills are about to pay off in a big way.

Having achieved Regional and National success in the first rounds of the competition, 22-year-old Kaiya from Eastbourne was announced as a member of Team UK in April 2017, chosen from competitors across the UK to represent Beauty Therapy.

Kaiya watched her mum, who trained as a beauty therapist before training as a nurse, and ultimately fell in love with the beauty industry as a young teen.

Kaiya came to Sussex Downs College in 2011, studying Hair and Beauty alongside Theatrical Makeu-up. At Level 2, Kaiya won the heat in UK Skills, but didn’t place when she went to the Regionals. By the time she reached her Level 3 course, all of this was to change.

“By Level 3, I knew I wanted to pursue Beauty Therapy,” Kaiya explains. “I had the passion and drive and knew I’d developed and learnt so much from competing in the competition the previous year. I went to the Regionals [of UK Skills] to better myself.”

The Regional heat took place in Eastleigh in June 2014, which Kaiya won. The top 10 then went to Birmingham in November 2014 to compete with the hope of being shortlisted for WorldSkills 2017.

Kaiya was successfully shortlisted and went to Loughborough for a WorldSkills preparation seminar in 2015.

Kaiya excelled in the UK Skills competitions, competing in the National Finals at Level 3. She was then selected to compete for a coveted spot on the UK Squad. Kaiya made the squad spent two years training in the competition. In November 2016, the UK Squad was whittled down to two competitors: Kaiya and a Beauty Therapist in Glasgow. In March 2017, it was announced that Kaiya would represent the UK in Abu Dhabi this autumn.

“I live and breathe WorldSkills,” Kaiya said about her training. “Fifty per cent is your mindset in these competitions. I am so proud of making it into Team UK and representing my country.”

Kaiya admits she went through a stage where she couldn’t eat or sleep, but working with a trained psychologist provided by WorldSkills has helped her to focus.

“I knew I wanted to work in the Beauty industry when I was at school,” she says. “I came along to the College Open Event and loved everything about it . I also liked that I could study a combined course in Hair & Beauty and Theatrical Make-up. I started the WorldSkills training in 2014. Having advanced through the stages of the competition, my training now mimics the WorldSkills set up. Everything has to be perfect. This competition has bettered me as a therapist, making me more employable and setting me a bar above the standard therapist. I believe that through hard work and determination there is nothing that you can’t achieve in the beauty industry. Going to Abu Dhabi is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I intend to enjoy every moment of it.”

Kaiya’s goal in the competition is to set personal bests. Team UK have met prior to Abu Dhabi, including a final Team UK event at Loughborough University last weekend (23–24 September) where they take part in team-building exercises to bond as a group.

Linda Collison, Programme Manager for Hair, Beauty & Complementary Therapies at the College, says, “We are incredibly proud of Kaiya and what she has achieved. We tell our learners about the Skills competitions when they start College and enter them into the first regional heats. It gives them something to aspire to. Obviously, the competition environment isn’t for everyone and students aren’t pressured into it, but for learners like Kaiya, their drive and determination, combined with an incredible flair and dedication to their work, leads them to great things.

“Not many young who aspire to be beauty therapists know that they can potentially be number one in their field and representing the UK, flying across the globe to compete. The profile of the competition has raised significantly because of Kaiya and we have more Beauty Therapy and Hairdressing students than ever before dedicating their time to the competition. We have another student, Rebecca West, 20, from Brighton, who is following Kaiya’s example and hopes to make the UK Squad, with the chance to compete in the Russia WorldSkills Final in 2019. The spotlight has never been so firmly on the competition and the beauty industry here in East Sussex. It’s an exciting time.”

Emma Hartup, Level 3 Course Coordinator Beauty at SDC, Lewes, is immensely proud of her students. She says: “Kaiya is so focused on Abu Dhabi. Similar to an athlete, if she’s not training then she feels she should be. It’s a huge commitment. Kaiya and Rebecca prove what you put in then you get out; their winning ways are an asset to the college. We wish Kaiya every success in Abu Dhabi.”

Team UK is made up of 34 young adults, representing industries including Aircraft Maintenance, Plumbing & Heating, Cooking and Hairdressing.