Alan d founder Alan Hemmings sitting at computer desk smiling.

Time for Another Blog

I’ve just come back from 10 great days away in the sun and as we all know, sitting around firstly clears your mind and then starts you thinking afresh. Well, let me tell you my latest thoughts regarding Hairdressing & Barbering training brought on by my relaxed frame of mind and a letter sent to me from an organisation called the Parliamentary Review.

To paraphrase this letter inviting Alan d to present a thousand word document, we would be able to voice our concerns regarding the ongoing problems that we, as training providers, are facing now and in the future. For example, how many people know that Government-funding for NVQ Level2 has been cut by 20%? Does this bode well for the future? How do those of us at the sharp end of Hairdressing education maintain our high standards which our Salon owners quite rightly expect?

Then, on the new standards, there’s the question of the End Point Assessment. Do we train our students to pass an exam or do we train them to use all their knowledge to become creative hairdressers? How do we define a T section of highlights? Can you fail a student because they didn’t sweep the floor? And so on……

In the near future the Level 2 Apprentice is expected not only to attempt their Maths & English exams as now, but they will have to pass them to achieve their full qualification. Surely that should be the job of the school- teacher, not the Hairdressing & Barbering training organisation!?

As usual, it seems that I’m still moaning about the same things for about the last million years. So what about the positive stuff?

On-going training, that’s going to be our favourite topic from now on! Once basic training is finished it should be the start, not the end of your career. You’d be surprised how many times a week I speak to salon-owners as well as returners-to-salon-work who suddenly realise that they’re being left behind when it comes to the latest cutting & colouring techniques.

On our website we offer a Refresher/Confidence-Builder course which we refer to as our “signature course”. Over the years this has proved to be an incredible winner because very often we get stuck in a rut and don’t have the confidence to take a leap out of our comfort zone. Does that apply to you? If so, call me to discuss! Obviously, if there’s anything else you want to talk about such as Apprentice recruitment, training at any level or just a moan, likewise, call me.

Previous Post
Recruitment of staff
Next Post
Choosing the next step in your career path

Related Posts

No results found.
You must be logged in to post a comment.