Paragon skills for industry

Kirsty Jackson at Changes Hair Salon

Kirsty Jackson from Milton Abbas is a cut above the rest, thanks to her enrolling onto a Hairdressing Apprenticeship.

Kirsty, 22, has recently completed her Advanced Apprenticeship in hairdressing while working at Changes Hair Design in Blandford Forum. Her Apprenticeship combined both theoretical learning and hands-on training in the salon.

“I’ve been working at the Changes Hair Design salon for the last six years and this training programme has been a great opportunity to build on my skills and expertise and really put into practice everything I’ve learnt,” said Kirsty, now a fully qualified hair stylist.

Kirsty recognises the benefits of gaining a vocational qualification and adds: “I have recommended the Apprenticeship to the new girls here at the salon, especially the Saturday juniors when they leave school. If you choose to go into full time study, of course you learn the basics, but practising in the classroom is very different to dealing with real people and real situations in the salon.”

During her training, Kirsty’s assessor Emma Brannigan from Paragon Skills, regularly visited the salon to assess Kirsty as she worked. “Kirsty worked very hard during her training programme and did exceptionally well,” said Emma. “It is not common to achieve the full framework and a diploma within the Apprenticeship, but Kirsty did so through her hard work and determination.”

Claire Gardiner, owner of Changes Hair Design, recognises the benefits of enrolling her staff onto Apprenticeships with Paragon Skills: “We have trained many of our juniors through Paragon Skills. Our juniors are our future, so it is very important to the salon that they are trained efficiently and to our standards.”

“It is essential that learners like Kirsty have the opportunity to do hands-on training in the salon, so they can develop their knowledge, skills and confidence in a real environment. It is important that they learn how to interact with customers and colleagues alongside their hairdressing skills.”

“We have been very pleased with Kirsty’s progress. She has achieved distinctions in her assignments and we are all very proud of her success.”