Which jobs are in demand? School-leavers urged to try their hands at dog grooming

Dog grooming is a growth industry, which has seen a surge in demand for the service since the puppy boom during the pandemic.

Grooming salons around the UK are struggling to keep up, and Ofqual regulated awarding organisation iPET Network, which offers dog grooming qualifications, is appealing for would-be groomers to sign up and become part of the growth industry.

Scott Learmouth, who runs the Bone Idol Training Academy in Hove, and the Bone Idol Salon in St James Street Brighton, says that dog grooming is the perfect career choice for an animal-loving student who would like to be entrepreneurial in the future.

He said: “Any GCSE or A-Level leaver who would like to be an entrepreneur, or start their own business in the future should be looking at dog grooming as an industry of interest right now.

“The salon has been packed out with bookings ever since it was allowed to reopen, and the iPET Network qualifications offered by the training academy have seen a record number of sign-ups.”

He added: “The pandemic has been so tough, but coming out the other side it is all the more clear that we have a growth industry on our hands.

“We have seen so many different types of people, from former cabin crew to armed forces veterans and office workers signing up to take the iPET Network courses. People have had the opportunity to reassess their lives, or have lost jobs, and dog grooming is a fun and creative new start for them.

In the UK in 2019 830 people received certificates in a Level 3 dog grooming qualification, this has risen to 895 in 2020.