A Harrow mother has expanded her business in a bid to help women into work.
Yvonne Sullivan, who lives in Dorchester Way, Kenton, has run a home-based beauty salon for 20 years.
However, the 51-year-old has now decided to branch out and her salon has been approved to offer NVQ courses in beauty treatments including waxing, massage, manicure and pedicure.
Ms Sullivan, whose son has just graduated from Oxford University, says that her training appeals to a huge variety of people because she offers flexible hours.
She said: "I've recently re-trained an optician who wanted to train to be a mobile beauty therapist.
"I've also had a high-flying City banker who wanted to start a family and return to work as a local beauty therapist instead of doing the rush-hour commute on the train."
She added: "More women want to dictate their own hours of work and they're finding lots of career paths for their new skills.
"A career in beauty therapy is, therefore, the ideal choice for them.
"It's endless what you can do with a career in beauty - you could be a make-up artist for the fashion and TV industry or a waxing or massage specialist.”
