WHAT MAKES APPRENTICES TICK?

With rising concerns over the lack of people choosing hairdressing apprenticeships, the Brooks and Brooks Assistant Team give us an insight into the minds of the future generation

It’s so important that we give young hairdressers a voice, particularly in light of our recruitment crisis. Without listening to the voices of the next generation, how can we attract, adapt and encourage future hairdressers? Poppy Koha James, an aspiring journalist, interviewed the Brooks and Brooks Assistant Team to get their perspective – and they hit her with some hard truths.

“The low-pay can be demoralizing for new-starters, especially when you realise how much work is expected of you,” explains Libby, part of the Brooks and Brooks Assistant Team. Although the assistant wage is managed on the basis that each person is gaining a high-level qualification, it is often not obvious to some what exactly the return is on all the hard work. Kara says: “Not being able to visualize what's at the end makes it difficult, you've got to really want it to not give up.” Sometimes assistants can lose sight of the rewards of their training and the negatives can become all-consuming.

Of course, some hairdressers are quick to judge and conclude that those that don’t complete their apprenticeships simply don't like hard work. But that would be overlooking important industry wide issues. Often when an assistant enters a salon this is their first-ever experience of a workplace, and instantly they're expected to know what is required of them. Little things such as etiquette, language, appropriate dress and even how to make a proper coffee often aren't explained, as there are so many other things for an assistant to learn. It may seem minor, but if a young person has begun their apprenticeship straight after secondary school the industry needs to take into account that their understandings of the workplace, especially a salon, will be limited.

“I'd rather work in a place with low pay but gain experience as well as a salon family..."

These young assistants need a hand in not only beginning their technical training but also in how they balance their work and personal lives and how to manage professional relationships. Without diminishing the difficulties of being an assistant, Tash summarizes what motivates her. “I'm not here for the money, I'm here for the opportunities and training,” she explains. “I'd rather work with low pay but gain experience as well as a salon family I trust and can learn from.”

The Importance of Acting on Feedback

Brooks and Brooks owner and three-times British Hairdresser of the Year, Sally Brooks thought that giving amazing training was the best thing she could do for her apprentices. But that was until a new member of the team started mentoring them, and she begun to realize that there is far more to an apprenticeship than just technical training…

Sarah James, a hairdresser with over 38 years’ experience, became a mentor to the Brooks and Brooks Assistant Team in June 2022. She came back to the London salon after many years of working in Essex; both at home and in high-street salons. Her early experience in the hair industry as a junior running around Covent Garden, frantically searching for models and undergoing grueling test nights, laid the foundations of her career. Having already been through assistant life, she decided to mentor the assistants.

It's fair to say that apprentices often feel under-appreciated inside the salon. Sarah firmly believes that this is a serious oversight seeing as “a salon simply cannot operate without assistants”. Upon joining Brooks and Brooks, Sarah realized she was able to listen to people; be understanding and considerate to their frustrations by referring back to my years of experience” . Sarah threw herself into mentoring the assistant team, encouraging them to make the most of the bustling city that they are lucky to be training in. “The girls were relying on social media to find their models, rather than going on to the streets. This seemed mad to me, you end up with a complete surprise on model night as you're seeing the hair for the very first time!” she exclaims. Taking the assistants out onto the streets isn't just about finding more suitable models though, it also improves confidence and interpersonal skills by forcing them out of their comfort zones.

Sarah holds Zoom meetings to check in and ensure their enthusiasm never dips. The meetings are an opportunity to assess their progress, share what they've been doing and make decisions about their assistant Instagram page – @brooksassistants. Sally says: “The key here is that Sarah doesn't dictate how to do it – she teaches them by example.” Gone are the days of being brutally harsh to assistants; instead, each assistant needs to feel like a valued team member. Understanding the importance of their role in a salon helps to remove any feelings of being used. Understanding the importance of teamwork within a salon is vital – at Brooks and Brooks they have nurtured this by empowering the voice of the assistant team with their own Instagram.

After a recent assistant meeting, Brooks and Brooks created individual training programs for their assistants. Sally says: “They are their own artists, each learns at a different pace and they all have unique goals”. As such, the new structure reflects this – it is specific to each apprentice with some commonalities and set exams. “Although training is hard work it's important that all the hard graft doesn't take away from how rewarding an apprenticeship can be,” says Becky. “Seeing myself creating great work and getting great feedback pushes me to do more – I am always coming in on my day off to do more models as I can see myself improving quicker”. Libby echoes this, “Once you overcome one obstacle, all you want is a new challenge.”

The lifestyle of an assistant is difficult, especially because the key to being a well-trained hairdresser is making it look easy to the client! In fact, Sarah shared that models are always shocked when they hear the processes behind a single hairstyle. “Hair is a strange kind of addiction to perfection,” says Sarah. Perhaps it's this – getting assistants addicted to hair – which makes them driven to reach their end goals. Maybe, the key factor in keeping your assistants is by simply asking them what they want. Listening to them and making them feel comfortable enough to make mistakes and voice their concerns, creates an environment which encourages learning.

Taking the assistants out onto the streets isn't just about finding more suitable models though, it also improves confidence and interpersonal skills by forcing them out of their comfort zones.

“I always knew how hard-working my assistant team are,” says Sally. “But now, I can see how to make this generation really tick and I really do see our assistant team as the future of Brooks and Brooks. In fact in a recent team meeting, they were more worried about how the assistant team would cope, under-staffed, once they qualify rather than their final exams!”

A note from the author

Poppy Koha James says:“Since my mum, Sarah, has been mentoring the Brooks and Brooks Assistants Team I have learnt so much about the industry. As an aspiring journalist and final year Anthropology student myself, I saw a great opportunity to be able to celebrate the work of assistants as well as uncovering what this generation need from their apprenticeships. Before I interviewed the team, I was expecting them to be negative about their roles.Of course I did hear about long days,tired feet and small pay slips,but overall I was taken aback by the dedication of the assistant team but also by the thoughtful considerations of the senior team for the junior hairdressers.”