The Habia Skills Academy is to develop a professional register for the spa, nails and beauty industries to help raise professional and quality standards and boost consumer confidence.

The public will be able to access the voluntary register to identify industry professionals who have met a range of criteria.

An independent technical group and Habia's forums are currently developing a set of universal standards.

Employers will be able to use the register when recruiting and industry professionals will be able to update their qualifications and experience.

The beauty, nails and spa register will be based on the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPS) model, which is run by Habia's parent company SkillsActive. REPS currently has more than 30,000 members.

The cost for individual membership of the register is still being finalised, but is expected to be around £35 per annum.

Rob Young, Habia MD, said, "This is what the industry wants and needs to take it to the next level. Employers have told us they would use this register for recruitment, as it gives them a set of established and agreed criteria they can work from.

"Equally, those industry professionals we have spoken to are excited about having the opportunity to demonstrate their professionalism - and the professionalism of their entire industry - to the general public."