HUNDREDS of nurses, beauty therapists and other health professionals have April Jorgensen to thank for their qualifications.
Ms Jorgensen established the Australasian Academy of Cosmetic Dermal Science in 2003 to meet the education and training needs of the cosmetic medical and dermal therapy professions.
Just 20 students enrolled in that first year, but AACDS has grown significantly since then to deliver four qualifications nationally online to more than 300 students per year.
Ms Jorgensen said developing a course from scratch, with no template or guidelines to follow, was a big step into the unknown.
The hard work has paid off, however, with Ms Jorgensen now director of the only registered training organisation in the industry that delivers practical training, with only two students per assessor trainer, as opposed to a group-training environment.
Ms Jorgensen has been nominated for a number of awards and in 2009 was recognised in the Nokia business innovation category at the WA Telstra Business Women’s Awards for her contribution to innovative business initiatives.
AACDS has partnered with the international charity Room to Read, collecting second hand books for a book drive. AACDS has also established registered charity Good Skin for a Good Cause.
