London academy launches hairdressing apprenticeships campaign

The London Hairdressing Apprenticeship Academy (LHAA) has launched a campaign to attract young people to the hairdressing industry. The initiative has been timed to coincide with National Apprenticeship Week (9-13 March), which we’ll be celebrating here on HJI all week. Launched from the Coca-Cola London Eye, the LHAA’s campaign seeks to attract creative and entrepreneurial young people aged 16-23, who want a vocational career as an alternative to university or college study. According to Trevor Luker, co-founder and director of LHAA, which trains apprentices for more than 350 salons from its three academies in Camden, Loughton and Borehamwood, a national qualification remains the best passport for entry into the sector: “An apprenticeship is the hairdressing industry’s preferred first step on the career ladder and apprentices can expect to earn while they learn and take home more than their contemporaries in other industries, once customer tips are added to wages. There’s more to it than hair styling skills, as salon owners demand enthusiastic young people who can communicate well.” Continued Trevor: “The number of salons and barber shops is at risk of declining if the talent pool isn’t replenished. The hairdressing industry employs over 1% of the total UK workforce and is respected internationally as the world’s best but to maintain this status, it needs new recruits. Who will cut your hair if we don’t get more apprentices?” Hilary Hall, Chief Executive of the National Hairdresser’s Federation, who helped launch the campaign and acted as a model for students, said: “Employers know that apprenticeships are the best route into the hairdressing industry, that's why hairdressing is always in the top 10 most popular apprenticeship subjects. Top quality training with providers such as LHAA opens the door to a career in a lively, creative and very social industry, so we're delighted to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week.” To help boost uptake in vocational training, the Government’s Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE) has been extended in 2015 with a £3,000 cash incentive on offer to businesses with a London postcode that recruit an apprentice. Elsewhere in England, the employer grant amounts to £1500 per apprentice recruited.