HJ DEBATE

Three hairdressers share their thoughts on apprentices taking on their own clients 

"Should Apprentices Have Their Own Column?"

1 BROOKE JONES, BROOKE EVANS IRONBRIDGE

“I think it’s essential for apprentices to have their own column. Regardless of whether the column is open for paying clients at reduced rates or for free, it’s important that apprentices are not just thrown onto the salon floor after their apprenticeship, expecting to not only be able to fulfil all the client’s needs, but mentally be able to do so. How we communicate with clients is important and getting them on the salon floor early allows them to become an exceptional all-round hairdresser. It’s also beneficial for the salon owner. It’s a large expense having apprentices in the salon because they technically don’t cover their wage, so we have them on the salon floor giving half price blow-dries. It allows them to hone their skill and develop a connection with the client. Plus, it can be quite mind numbing if they don’t have the perks of being able to blow-dry their favourite client every week. It gives them a different scene and breaks their day up. In our salon they are not only educated at college, but in-house too, and they wouldn’t go on the salon floor if we didn’t think they were ready to take that step. We train them step-by-step and once we feel that they’re ready, we’ll put them on the salon floor for a blow-dry or a set of roots, for example. They don’t do everything straight away, but they’ll have a small, loyal clientele which means the transition from being an apprentice to a stylist isn’t as big and daunting as it could be.”

2 PAUL WINDLE, WINDLE SALON

“I think the whole idea of someone in training is they’re not ready to be cutting or colouring clients, but once they qualify to do blow-dries then I think that’s fine. It’s a great idea to build up their client skills, but any negativity can be quite bad for them. It can really destroy their confidence. We had a situation quite recently where somebody lost a lot of confidence, and it was quite tough for her. Even though she was very proficient at blow-drying often people who are still apprentices may not be quite as resilient; they’re still vulnerable because they haven’t had enough time to build up their confidence. What we do is when someone has qualified, we look out for them because we know it’s not always about hairdressing skills, it’s about people skills too. That said, it’s great if an apprentice can build their people skills within their technical skill set. We’ve noticed that some people have really thrived if a client’s happy with the blow-dry they’ve received, and they ask for that apprentice again. I think the ability to connect with clients is the number one skill – if people haven’t got good people skills, they won’t get busy. Apprentices need a lot of positive reinforcement and (maybe this is me coming from a different generation) more positive reinforcement than was given in my day. I remember when I was coming through and thinking, if I ever get my own place, I am never going to treat anyone like this, and I’ve tried to stick with that.”

3 ELLE FOREMAN, TRIBE SALONS, CLAPHAM LONDON

“I think that when apprentices have demonstrated competence in specific services, they should have the opportunity to work with paying clients. We currently have six apprentices, three in our Clapham salon and three in our Chislehurst salon. All our apprentices attend college one day a week to complete their NVQ during their first two years. Alongside this, we organise additional salon-based training to supplement their learning. Once they’ve completed their NVQ, they train in the salon weekly, with training days gradually increasing as they prepare to join the salon floor. To get them onto the floor, we provide an additional year of focused training after they complete their NVQ to ensure they are fully prepared. This allows them to hone their skills and build their confidence before transitioning onto the floor. It also allows them to develop essential client relationships, provided the client is aware they are working with a trainee or graduate. Once competent, apprentices can start with blow-drying and styling services and then progress to colour services as their skills develop. Our clients have high expectations, so it’s essential to ensure these opportunities align with their abilities to maintain quality for client satisfaction. As long as clients are aware they are seeing a graduate, everyone is happy. Clients feel they are supporting the next generation and our young team members get the confidence and experience they need.”