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    Media Release

    TAFE NSW Wollongong West | 9 January 2025

    A female barber cutting hair

    TAFE NSW students learn to detect melanomas in life-saving training

    “Skin awareness conversations are vital to have throughout the year, and particularly during the harsher summer months…Spot a Spot shows students how to detect skin lesions and mould-type - inflammatory - blemishes.”

    Brenden Tonki

    This summer, TAFE NSW Wollongong West hairdressers, barbers, and beauticians can extend their skillset to start a potentially life-saving conversation about suspicious skin spots.

    Spot a Spot is a collaboration with TAFE NSW, the Australian Melanoma Research Foundation, Hair and Beauty Australia, Keune, and Airyday. The Microskill course aims to increase early awareness and prevention of skin cancer in communities across Australia.

    A TAFE NSW hairdressing teacher guides a student as he cuts a young man's hair in a salon classroom.

    Melanoma is one of the most common cancers among young Australians and the third most diagnosed cancer in NSW, with more than 5,000 people expected to be diagnosed in the state this year.*

    The Cancer Institute NSW recently released data revealing NSW’s top melanoma hotspots. Local government areas (LGAs) that record the state’s highest melanoma rates include Ballina, Lismore, Byron, Clarence Valley and Coffs Harbour.

    The top 25 LGAs for melanoma are:

    1. Ballina
    2. Lismore
    3. Byron Shire
    4. Clarence Valley
    5. Coffs Harbour
    6. Sutherland Shire
    7. Port Macquarie-Hastings
    8. Tweed
    9. Kempsey
    10. Richmond Valley
    11. Nambucca Valley
    12. Kiama
    13. Port Stephens
    14. Bathurst Regional
    15. Mid-Coast (Council)
    16. Lake Macquarie
    17. Mosman
    18. Mid-Western Regional (Council)
    19. Northern Beaches
    20. Shoalhaven
    21. Cessnock
    22. Wagga Wagga
    23. Central Coast
    24. Wingecarribee
    25. Newcastle

    TAFE NSW Wollongong West Hairdressing and Barbering Teacher, Brenden Tonkin, said while Spot a Spot does not enable students to povide a medical diagnosis, the course helps them develop skills to identify skin changes, to contribute to reducing the incidence of melanoma long-term. “Skin awareness conversations are vital to have throughout the year, and particularly during the harsher summer months,” he said. “Spot a Spot shows students how to detect skin lesions and mould-type - inflammatory - blemishes.”

    Having completed the Spot a Spot training, Certificate III in Barbering/Hairdressing/Beauty, Max Cunial, is confident they can now discuss skin abnormalities with family, friends, and future clients. “The Spot a Spot training has provided me with tools to identify skin irregularities changes and subsequently encourage people to seek professional medical advice,” they said. “I enjoy that the course has also given me skills to help educate men who have a beard or moustache to regularly check for blemishes hiding under the hair.”

    The Spot a Spot Microskill course is available for TAFE NSW apprentices studying Certificate III Hairdressing, Certificate III Barbering, and Certificate IV Beauty Therapy, to help skill the future workforce in these important conversations.

    Media contact: Karen Farrell, TAFE NSW Communications Specialist, 02 7920 5000

     
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