This will be their first hurdle on the way to international acclaim as beauticians.
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Within a term of completing their courses and becoming qualified beauticians, TAFE students Chelsea Sutton and Bethany Mills have this week competed in the regional finals of the Worldskill Beauty Therapy awards.
The successful winner of the one-day regional finals will then progress to a three-day national contest to hopefully also attain a position in the four-day international quest to be held two years hence in Shanghai.
"The benchmark moves up as you progress higher, but at the international level, it's eye-opening for the beauticians to see that we're on an equal playing field with the world," said Naomi Zadow, head of beauty therapy at Wagga TAFE.
Ms Zadow has seen that mental strength play out on the world stage, having recently returned from judging the Russian national beautician contest, in her capacity as the Australian international expect on beauty therapy.
Joining Ms Zadow in judging the local contest on Thursday was Lily Campbell, who herself has become quite familiar with the mental fortitude that accompanies the contest.
In 2017, Ms Campbell took gold in the national contest, and bronze at the international level in Abu Dhabi.
"There's the pressure of the judging [and] the timeframe is taxing, [especially] for the international four days," she said.
"That's the hardest thing, but each day gets easier knowing there's another day done.
"I had a good mentor in Naomi who got me through it, and the reward, being able to podium that's what we're all there for."