A Shifnal business woman is helping beauty gurus of the future make their first step onto the career ladder.
And Jamie-Leigh Bird is calling on others to do the same ahead of National Apprenticeship Week 2017.
Running from March 6 to 10, the week focuses on the benefits of employing an apprentice – something the House of Beauty owner knows well as she currently has two working for her at the Bradford Street salon she opened in 2012.
Ms Bird said: “There are many advantages to having an apprentice, especially in the beauty industry.
“If people have worked in salons before they tend to do things a specific way, but if you get someone in fresh you can train them in exactly how you do things.
“It’s also progression for you while you’re training them, learning their strengths and incorporating them into the salon.
“We find our customers are really willing to act as models for the apprentices to let them learn new techniques, and at the end of their course we know they’ve been trained to our high standards.”
One of the current apprentices at the popular salon is 17-year-old Alice Treharne, who started her NVQ Level 2 at House of Beauty straight after leaving school in 2015.
The Lawley resident is now working on her Level 3 qualification, which she will have finished by early summer.
She said: “I’ve always wanted to do beauty and an apprenticeship is a great way to learn and train, while also earning money.
“A lot of salons these days are very basic but you’ve got everything here from lip fillers and botox to HD lashes so it’s a very good salon to learn at.
“I love working here and always encourage other people to go for an apprenticeship too – learning in a college is very different to being in a salon. Here you’re in at the deep end and you get real life experience while you’re training.”
Co-ordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service, National Apprentice Week is designed to celebrate the positive impact apprenticeships and traineeships have on individuals, businesses and the economy.
The 10th National Apprenticeship Week in March is set to bring together employers and apprentices from across England to celebrate the success of apprenticeships over the last decade and will seek to encourage even more people to choose apprenticeships as a fast-track to a great career.