Creative Skills Retail Council Sets New Benchmark in Professional Development with Innovative Certifications

Melissa Kalan - Executive Director

Industry-aligned certifications for the hair and makeup industry, building capability, confidence and future-ready businesses

CSRC’s professional certifications are designed to extend learning beyond formal qualifications. They are quickly adaptable and based on real-world challenges that shape a future-ready workforce.”

— Melissa Kalan

SYDNEY, NSW, AUSTRALIA, January 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Creative Skills Retail Council (CSRC), Australia’s national professional business council for the hair, barber and makeup sectors, has launched a bold new direction in industry capability building – a first-of-its-kind professional certification framework included as part of membership that equips business owners, employers and their teams with future-ready skills and structured continued professional development.

Positioned at the intersection of workforce capability and commercial excellence, the CSRC Academy represents a shift in how industry associations support career progression and business performance. Designed exclusively for Professional Members and their teams, the Academy delivers professional certifications, industry-led micro-credentials and expert-led commercial programs, supported by training credits aligned to the value of each member’s subscription.

“Having developed a postgraduate qualification for an Australian university, contributed to vocational education frameworks, and been appointed Honorary Adjunct Associate Professor by Taylor's University in Malaysia in recognition of advancing revenue management education in hospitality and tourism, I have gained insight into where on-the-job training can often fall short in developing core business skills beyond technical expertise,” said CSRC Executive Director Melissa Kalan.

The certification suite supports capability development across business leadership, sales, marketing, customer service, people management and emerging technology adoption, empowering hair and makeup industry businesses to adapt, lead and remain commercially resilient in a changing market.

CSRC also recognises the outstanding work being delivered by independent sector business coaches and educators. The Council’s certifications are designed to complement, not replace, existing coaching and mentoring programs by establishing foundational, consistent and structured capability frameworks that support sector-wide progression, and which expert coaches build upon through specialised, tailored, business-specific support.

Professional development is embedded as a core membership deliverable, ensuring that each member’s contribution is directly returned through access to structured learning that enhances skills and supports business performance.

This approach reflects CSRC’s broader commitment to industry advocacy, sector research, workforce capability and retention across the personal services sector. While this work largely benefits both members and non-members, CSRC’s value-centric membership model places strong emphasis on delivering additional, tangible value for professional members.

Further, through innovative offerings such as the CSRC Shop for Good, professional certifications are also available to non-members, with proceeds contributing directly to CSRC’s social impact initiatives.

About Creative Skills Retail Council

The Creative Skills Retail Council (CSRC) is a not-for-profit professional industry council dedicated to advancing workforce capability, skills recognition, sector research and commercial excellence across Australia’s hair, barber and makeup industries. CSRC supports the sector through purpose-driven membership, industry advocacy and industry-led professional development that contributes to meaningful social impact.

Melissa Kalan
Creative Skills Retail Council
info@mycsrc.org
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