By Isle of Wight Observer
The Hair Academy team has been tending to Islanders hair for over 20 years, but recently they’ve increasingly focused on something they feel very strongly about: training and developing the next generation of Island hairdressers.
The Hair Academy can now provide Level 2 and Level 3 NVQ hairdressing qualifications, from their Cowes salon, in partnership with Achievement Training and Skills. This is about much more than training people to cut and colour hair. Years of working with external training providers have shown that some providers focus more on revenue than on the quality of education they provide to students. The Hair Academy aims to give young people, and those seeking a new career, a genuine route into the industry, giving them access to high-quality training and opportunities without leaving the Island.
It also creates a positive cycle within the salon. New talent stylists can learn alongside experienced professionals, progress through the business, and eventually help train the next generation themselves.
Island clients also benefit. Having different levels of experience within one professional salon means they can offer model days, training appointments and a pricing structure ranging from emerging talent through to Advanced Stylists and Creative Directors.
Importantly, being an Academy doesn’t mean compromising on standards. All training takes place within a busy professional salon environment, with experienced supervision, professional products and the same focus on client care that the business was build on.
The salon’s mission is simply to “Make Someone’s Day” – whether that’s a client leaving the salon feeling fantastic or somebody taking their first steps towards a career in hairdressing.