Students from Orange High School were given a chance to unleash their creativity in the TAFE NSW beauty salon last week for a special Halloween-inspired makeup and nail art session.

Part of the TAFE NSW Start Your Future (SYF) program, the students got to try their hand at some spooky nail art and themed looks on models, highlighting their creativity and skills.

But more than just a bit of fun, it was a chance for them to get a taste of what a career in the beauty industry would look like, TAFE beauty teacher Lynette Green said.

“So we’ve introduced them into all the different elements of the beauty section. They do a bit of hair, they're doing a bit of makeup, and they're doing nails just to introduce them to all the courses so when they leave school, they’ll know if this is what they want to do,” Lynette said.

“Because you get some girls that come and start a course and on the first day realise they don't like it. At least with this, they know whether they like it or not.” 

Beauty is one of Australia’s most in-demand and growing industries, with employment projected to increase by almost 4 per cent by 2028.

“The beauty industry is one of the most versatile and in-demand, with one beauty graduate for every 10 available jobs,” hairdresser and acting head teacher Rachael Barrington said.

“We see it here, we've had bigger numbers this year with enrollments towards the Cert III, and they're still looking really good for next year, too.”

“The sky's the limit with beauty,” Lynette said, adding that it offers so much scope for progression and even owning your own business.

“They can go and then do a diploma which is all the facials, massage, all that sort of thing… they can go into skin therapies, do injectables and things like that. So there's a long way that they can go.”