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Matthew is a cut above

One school leaver from Bedlington was deemed to be a cut above the rest, when he recently landed his dream job, as an apprentice hairdresser.

After a six month hunt to find its next apprentice, Gosforth- based salon, Nik Addis, has appointed sixteen year old Matthew Grey to its team.

Following an unsuccessful attempt to find the right person for his salon through the usual channels, Nik was helped in his search for an apprentice by Corey-Jo Skeen, a recent addition in employer liaison with training provider, Trade Training Associates’ specialist Hair Academy, based in North Tyneside.

Speaking about Matthew’s arrival, salon owner, Nik Addis, said;

“When I am a looking for new, untrained talent to join my team, it’s not just about the qualifications they leave school with, it’s about their personality, enthusiasm for a career in hairdressing and making sure they are the right fit for the salon and its clients.

“Having interviewed a number of people from local colleges and the Job Centre, no one particularly stood out until Corey-Jo introduced me to Matthew, who, I am confident, is going to make a great stylist. She also advised me of the financial help that is available to businesses when they take on an apprentice, organising an Apprenticeship Grant which will help towards Matthew’s salary ortraining in the early days.”

As part of his training, Matthew will undertake an apprenticeship studying part-time at the Hair Academy. Added to this he will get hands-on experience of salon life and learning the skills of his art from Nik and his team.

Commenting on this fantastic career opportunity, Matthew said:

“I was really pleased when Nik offered me the job. I love my time in the salon – its hard work but good fun at the same time and I hope one day to become a top stylist with my own clients once I have qualified.”

Corey-Jo added: “We very much look forward to working on behalf of the Nik Addis salon with Matthew to ensure that he receives the training support required to make it as a stylist and complement the team that Nik has in place.

“Training is a huge investment especially for small businesses such as hair and beauty salons and similarly to Nik, many employers are unaware of the grant support available which can be used towards trainees’ wages or their training. I am looking forward to building a longstanding relationship with the salon and hope to deliver ongoing training for staff of all levels. “

The Hair Academy is also able to provide Access to Apprenticeship programmes and training to NVQ Level 3. Further to this, for learners over the age of 24 it is has access to funding under the Government’s new 24+ Advanced Learning Loans scheme.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Leigh Chelton .