We caught up with our new Curriculum and Apprenticeship Lead for Hair, Beauty and Make-up Artistry, Janice Stacey. Janice introduced us to an exciting range of opportunities for budding hairdressers, make-up artists and hair and beauty business owners. Are you looking to glow up your career or business? Janice told us how you could do just that through an apprenticeship at Chesterfield College.
What apprenticeships do we have on offer in Hair and Beauty?
We currently offer the Level 2 Hair Professional apprenticeship and we run that on a roll-on, roll-off program, so we recruit for that throughout the year. This can lead to the Level 3 Advanced Creative Hair Professional apprenticeship.
We also offer the Level 2 Beauty Therapist apprenticeship and that’s a September start. This can lead to the Level 3 Advanced Beauty Therapist.
Why should an employer in the Hair and Beauty industry consider taking on an apprentice?
What are the responsibilities an employer needs to consider when taking on a Hair, Beauty or Make-up Artistry apprentice?
When you get an apprentice, you need to understand that they do come to you as a starting point to build up. They are there to get involved with teamwork and to support the team in jobs, but the employer really needs to invest in the apprentice’s development and progression throughout the time that you have. Taking on an apprentice comes with all the responsibility linked with training them in the skills. For example, with the hairdressing apprenticeship, you may start off with the basic shampooing, meeting and greeting clients, blow-drying and then, as the apprentice starts to build up confidence in these areas, it’s about gradually progressing them onto cutting, colouring, applying colours and then really understanding colour theory.
What do apprentices have to look forward to from our Hair and Beauty apprenticeships?
The apprenticeship gives them that opportunity to actually be on the shop floor from day one and the aim is that they’re going to work regularly in the salons with teams of professionals. You can’t get a better opportunity than being in a salon with a team from the word go.
It’s also great because our industry is changing in relation to being freelance or self-employed within a salon. The aim when the apprentice has finished their training is to look at whether there is an opportunity to rent a space within the salon they’ve been placed in. I always advise that person to stay within the salon and move to the Level 3 apprenticeship, so that they can develop their skills even further. Some salons do retain the students and, regardless of where they head to next, nearly everyone continues onto employment.
How did you get to the role you are in today?
For more information on the range of apprenticeships on offer in Hair, Beauty and Make-up Artistry, please visit our website at https://www.chesterfield.ac.uk/standard/page/4/ or email Janice at StaceyJ@chesterfield.ac.uk