The ¹T Level technical qualification awarded to NCFE – developed in partnership with VTCT for the hair and beauty industry – has had a makeover of its own in the form of a title change. The new flagship Level 3 qualification for 16-19- year- olds, has now been retitled T Level Technical Qualification in Hairdressing, Barbering and Beauty Therapy to better reflect its three occupational specialisms.  

Originally titled T Level Technical Qualification in Hair, Beauty and Aesthetics, the name change resulted from amendments being made to the Outline Content which resulted in a transition away from aesthetics, and the inclusion of barbering. Feedback received from employers, providers and professional body members was used to ensure the new pathway title is reflective of the updated content.  

A recommendation was also made to the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (the Institute) by both the T Level Panel and Route Panel members to change the name of the qualification. The new name has been well received throughout the Hairdressing, Barbering and Beauty Therapy industries and by the qualification developers, NCFE and VTCT. 

Zac Aldridge, Director of Qualifications and Assessments at NCFE said:  

“We’re fully on-board with the qualification’s title change and believe the new name is a great representation of the course’s specialisms. 

“Our T Level technical qualification in hairdressing, barbering and beauty therapy is being carefully developed to give our learners the best possible chances of launching their careers within their chosen industry. 

“We work closely with industry experts across all our qualifications, and this is a great example of working collaboratively to ensure our qualifications fully reflect the requirements of the sector and the needs of learners” 

Alan Woods OBE, CEO of VTCT said:  

“We are thrilled that the title has been amended to more accurately reflect the current occupational specialisms of the T Level Technical Qualification. After several panel discussions with individuals from industry, training providers and professional bodies, it became apparent that everyone wanted this change. 

“We are grateful for the close working relationship between VTCT, NCFE and the Institute and that we were able to embrace the feedback so early on in the development process.  

“This change will make it easier to promote communication with schools, learners, parents and employers being fully transparent of the career pathways available to students upon completion of the qualification.”  

It was announced in September 2021 that this specific T Level was being developed for first delivery in September 2023, offering a high-quality work focused training route into the hair, barbering and beauty industries. 

Employers throughout the country are encouraged to get involved with T Levels and many have already shown their support. Lorraine Nordmann, Beauty President of the Association of Hairdressers and Therapists (AHT) shared:  

“T Levels, developed in collaboration with industry, support aspiration and focus on preparing students for work while developing the technical skills and knowledge that are sought by industry.” 

1The T Level Technical Qualification is a qualification approved and managed by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. 

Introducing www.trainingmadeeasi.com, the first dedicated online training directory for the Hair and Beauty Industry launches 24th January 2022.

Meet Training Made Easi……..

Brought to the industry by the founder of Hair Made Easi, Nicola Wood created Training Made Easi with a simple mission; to connect students with training providers, ensure students learn from the best educators in the industry and help people enter and advance in our industry.

Why we created Training Made Easi……..

With in excess of 100,000 monthly searches on Google for hair & beauty training courses in the UK, Training Made Easi have carried out extensive research with our digital marketing team and our mission is to connect students through our easy-to-use directory with the training courses they are looking for on one simple to use site.

Nicola explains “following multiple enquiries over many months from students struggling to find the training courses they needed and educators searching for students to help fill their courses, it was clear that a simple and easy solution was needed within our industry to help match students with courses in the UK.”

How Training Made Easi works……..

The Training Made Easi directory lists training providers in over 20 specialist categories within the Hair, Beauty and Salon Business sector.

Using our simple online step-by-step tool, training providers can easily create a listing to promote their courses, including their contact details, locations, course descriptions, social media links, qualifications and accreditations, as well as imagery and video upload capability
to showcase their courses.

With featured listing options and dedicated offers and deals section, training providers can create professional listings and promotions with ease.

For students, Training Made Easi offers free of charge, straightforward search options including category, location and online course search capabilities, students will quickly identify relevant courses and providers.

With our marketing investment and online promotion, Training Made Easi will reach this audience for education providers for a low fixed monthly cost, with various listing options to suit all budgets, allowing them to concentrate on delivering education.

Listings start from as little as £15 per month – full details available at
www.trainingmadeeasi.com.

The Fellowship for British Hairdressing’s PROJECT: Colour kickstarted their year with an amazing day with session stylist and salon owner, Adam Reed.  

Organised by project leader Paul Dennison, the team headed over to Adam Reed London salon in East London for a day of inspirational colouring with wigs. Adam told them: “I want to create hair that makes people stop for a second to look closer. Maybe it’s a weird texture or the shiniest hair they’ve ever seen. It could be astonishingly intricate or a little bit eccentric. Perhaps it’s an arse-kicking technical cut. But irrespective, it held their attention. That’s what great hair should do.” 

Paul said: “Having Adam mentoring the first day for the new team was great. He brought a great energy and made the day relaxed and fun, starting with a group discussion, giving the team a great insight into how he likes to work. The team then had an opportunity to get creative working with wigs.” 

Member Luke Logan commented: “The day was awesome! I think the main thing I took away from the day was just to be your true self and not to follow the trends within the industry,  but create them.” 

Sophie Perfect added: “We spent the day colouring wigs and really focused on placement. We went in with the less is more approach and it’s amazing the results you can get by tweaking what’s already there.” 
 
Kayleigh Byrne enthused: “Our day with Adam Reed was so inspiring! I really enjoyed learning all about his career and how he came to be the amazing hairdresser that he is today. He gave us lots of advice and really pushed our creativity to the next level by having us think back to basics and create beautiful colours using the phrase “less is more”. We spent our day working on wigs that had been previously coloured, using techniques to enhance the previous colour. Adam is extremely talented and insightful, he had a detailed story for every question we asked!”  

Project Team Leader: Paul Dennison 
Project Team Members 

Luke Logan, Strand & Lock Aveda 
Luke Tyrrell, Headmasters Mayfair Salon 
Callum Iqbal, Brendan O’Sullivan Hair & Beauty 
Andrew Feve, Anti.Dote 
Kayleigh Byrne, Tribe Salons 
Sophia Martin, Amaryllis Salon 
Louise Munro, Alice & The Hair 
April Mash, Strangeways 
James Holroyd, Yoke The Salon 
Kate Mclaughlin, Sarai Hair & Beauty 
Sophie Perfect, GFC Hairdressing 
Ella Gray, Aurora Hair Salon 

For more information: 
Instagram: @fellowshiphair 
Call 01295 724579   
Visit www.fellowshiphair.com  

Andis® Company has announced the launch of its newest tool to empower talented artists to create their way: a fully reimagined education site. This all-new site is the ultimate destination for barbers and hairstylists, featuring incredible educational resources, including a suite of free, step-by-step tutorial videos led by Andis® Company’s world-class global educators to help expand skills, live and pre-recorded, on-demand virtual education to help strengthen knowledge and expertise and other offerings such as downloadable books and guides for all hair types.

 “In the beauty and barber industry, time is money, inspiration can be too hard to come by and community is crucial. Andis® Company recognizes that creators need a place to gather and to fill their own cup with skills, tips and tricks that they can bring back to their clients every day in the shop or salon. Our new education site is the place to be to access the resources you need to create your way,” said Angie Perino, the company’s Global Education Manager for its Beauty & Barber division.  

“The site is mobile-friendly and with easy, intuitive navigation you can access incredible educational content. Creators will find resources for all hair types, genders and a vast array of Andis® tools. There is something for everyone, whether you are a novice or expert, barber or stylist!” 
The Andis® Barber and Stylist Education site redesign is one part of the reimagined end-to-end brand experience and new positioning which officially debuted in August of last year.  

In addition to the above features, the website also details upcoming in-person events, lists photos and bios of the global education team and makes requesting custom workshops easy via dedicated tabs. Additional step-by-step video tutorials, pre-recorded, on-demand virtual education and other community building features will continue to roll out throughout 2022. 

For more information go to: andis.com/BarberStylistEducation 

Professional colour house, OSMO is pleased to announce the appointment of its latest Brand Ambassador, Micky Graham. 

An expert in barbering and education, Micky is a self-taught barber of 10 years and recently opened his own studio space in Newcastle, County Down, named ‘Location X’. 

“I initially started my barbering journey at a local hair salon cutting men’s hair. I then started to book myself onto barbering courses with key educators like Menspire and Great British Barber Bash to develop my own passion and style of cutting and styling.  I’m a big fan of finished looks using hairdryers and styling tools – unusual for barbering, but I just enjoy the results this achieves.  What I love most about using OSMO products is that they enable me to create such a wide range of looks.  The OSMO product range is so vast, there’s literally a product for everything and anything,” explains Micky.  

Micky continued his educational direction with the Great British Barber Bash and is now a Lead Educator for the team, hosting courses across the country and presenting on stage exhibitions alongside fellow OSMO ambassador, Ollie Foster. It’s through this role that Micky started working even closer with key sponsors, OSMO.  

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Having won British Master Barbers ‘Barber of the Year’ title in 2016, Micky is recognised for spotting upcoming trends and for his precision work.  Excelling in all aspects of barbering, it’s his fading techniques that set him apart, whilst his energetic approach to teaching leaves students with not only new ideas, but renewed enthusiasm for the craft.   

“Micky has worked with us within his role at Great British Barber Bash for some time now and we’ve always been admirers of his work, so it was a natural progression for us both.  We’re looking forward to embracing Micky’s energy and skills within the new educational programme we’ll be rolling out in 2022.  It’s exciting times ahead for us all,” OSMO Brand Manager, Sinéad McLaughlin concludes. 

Quick Fire Questions with Micky:  

Favourite OSMO Products: Matte Clay Extreme, Matt Salt Spray, Power Powder & Extreme Extra Firm Hairspray 

3 Words to Describe You: Funny, Passionate, Driven 

As any barber or beauty professional knows, at times you feel more like a therapist than a beauty therapist. Clients are often inclined to open up to their hairdresser or barber about their personal lives, hardships and struggles. This means beauty professionals are in a unique position to help identify sufferers of domestic violence, and in turn, assist the victims.  

This has led to an initiative encouraging barbers, hairstylists, and beauty professionals to become educated and aware of the signs of abuse, with education platforms that give them the tools to help their clients, and potentially save their lives.  

As of January 1^st, 2022, a new law has passed in the state of Tennessee—the homebase of this initiative, requiring all barbers and beauty professionals to undergo free training to help identify the signs of clients suffering from domestic abuse, and how to lead them to help.  

Signs of domestic violence can range from learning about concerning details about their homelife from stories or worries expressed, to physical symptoms, such as bruising or sudden or unusual hair loss.  

The law went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022, following a successful initiative first launched in 2017 by Nashville stylist — and survivor of abuse — Susanne Post. She worked with the YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee, which runs the region’s largest women’s emergency shelter and has been engaged in anti-domestic violence education for more than four decades. 

Legislation to require the course came to a head thanks to state lawmakers, commerce agency officials and the state Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners. 

“Tennessee’s beauty professionals are caring, compassionate individuals who are committed to ensuring the health and safety of all their customers, but may not know how to respond when confronted with domestic violence,” said board executive director Roxana Gumucio in a statement made on July 27, when the bill was passed. 

Back in 2017 Susanne Post co-founded an initiative started by the YWCA Nashville and Middle Tennessee, called Shear Haven. Now a proud partner with BARBICIDE, the company hosts training online for hair professionals to gain awareness, education, and tools for spotting and combatting domestic violence.  

Beyond Tennessee, the initiative to educate hair and beauty professionals about the signs of domestic abuse is spreading globally.  In the UK and Ireland, SalonEVO Columnist and Beauty Business Expert Liz McKeon is the ambassador for Shear Haven anti-domestic violence salon training, encouraging and spreading awareness and education of this helpful, and potentially lifesaving tool.  

The Shear Haven online training consists of a 20-minute online session followed by a short quiz. After completion, each participant will receive a personalised certificate of achievement.  

To date, more than 25,000 hair and beauty professionals from around the world have taken the training.  

Learn more about the Shear Haven training by visiting the YWCA website  and quiz on the Barbicide website.  

Newton Abbot Station hosted a pop-up barbershop on January 10, where men got a free haircut and a chance to discuss their mental health at the same time. It is one of the first pop-ups to be hosted by The Lions Barber Collective following a £25,000 grant from Great Western Railway, reports DevonLive. 

Three barbers who have been trained to recognise signs of poor mental health in their clients were on hand to cut hair, trim beards and provide a listening ear. 

They were joined at the station by South Devon Samaritans volunteers, who were handing out cups of tea to passengers ahead of the charity’s annual Brew Monday campaign on January 17. 

Torquay-based barber Tom Chapman founded The Lions Barber Collective in 2015 following the death of a close friend. 

Recognising that barbers and hair professionals are often a friendly ear to their customers, Tom collaborated with experts to develop a training programme for hair and beauty professionals to support their clients and communities. 

The clinically-backed BarberTalk programme gives barbers the skills to direct questions to trigger conversation and to signpost clients to the support they need. 

Tom said: “We’re fully-trained to make people look and feel amazing and most importantly listen with empathy and without judgment to those in the chair. We’re using this as a vehicle to connect with the community and start conversations around mental health.” 

GWR Community Manager Emma Morris added: “The Lions Barber Collective carries out vital work in helping to open up conversations around mental health and we believe these pop-up barbershops could be of real benefit to some of our customers and colleagues. 

“We’re really excited about this pop-up at Newton Abbot and look forward to working with the Collective to bring more of these events to our stations.” 

While the third Monday in January is sometimes referred to as ‘the most difficult day of the year’, the charity is highlighting that there’s no such thing as ‘Blue Monday’ as people can feel a range of emotions any day of the year. 

South Devon Samaritans branch director Dean Sanders said: “We’re really looking forward to being at Newton Abbot station to talk to passengers and are so thankful to the rail industry for their support. 

“As we enter another winter in these difficult times, we are encouraging people to look out for their family, friends and work colleagues and be that listening ear that they might just need. 

“It doesn’t matter if it’s Monday morning or Thursday night, or if you’re drinking lemonade, black coffee or apple juice. If you’re sharing a cup of something and listening, you’re making a difference to someone’s day.” 

Written by Guy Henderson, Devon Live.  

The Fellowship for British Hairdressing is kicking off the new year with an invitation to join its ONLINE HAIR HEALTH WORKSHOP, which is open to all non-members as well as members. 

The workshop is scheduled for January 17^th, and the workshop will be mentored by Trisha Buller and Kerry Mather. 

Trisha and Kerry will be sharing their passion and expertise for trichology and nutritional advice.  

Trichology and nutritional advice have become the norm in hairdressing salons and hair loss, both temporary and permanent, is no longer a taboo subject. The Covid 19 pandemic has increased anxiety and stress levels significantly, emotions that can cause hairstyling havoc. Hair loss is being flagged up as an unwelcome side effect for those recovering from the virus. Learn from the experts how the appliance of nutritional science is the secret to healthy hair and healthier profits in the current trading realities. 

Meet the mentors: 

Trisha Buller MIT SRSH, Ciente Salon & Spa 

Senior Consultant Trichologist and nutritional practitioner, Trisha, will present her manifesto for promoting healthy hair from within. She’ll reveal how going deeper into the dermis pays dividends and share her business building strategies for today’s changing hair and scalp health market. 

Kerry Mather, KJM Salons 

Seasoned hairdresser and owner of KJM Salons for 30 years, Kerry has acted as Vice-Chairman of the Fellowship, been a BHA nominee and BHBA winner. She’s passionate about promoting hair health within her salons, and turning troubled strands into confidence boosting glossy locks. 

If you would like to be involved in the Fellowship’s full events and educational programme, you can join the Fellowship here. Link to https://fellowshiphair.com/join/join-the-fellowship 

For more information on the workshop and other upcoming events, go to www.fellowshiphair.com 

Clients of all ages are excited for a new year and getting closer to a normal environment once again. Trends are beginning to emerge in the salon already and are inspired by the fashion houses and runways around the world.  

Darrel Starkey, Taylor’s Hair Studio 

The Peaky Blinders Cut  

With the return of Peaky Blinders gracing our screens very soon, this once again has a huge influence on the hair world, with many male clients opting for the blunt cut, made popular by Mr Thomas Shelby himself. The style features a close skin razor around the sides and back, teamed with a heavy top section. The undercut of the top section remains very blunt, giving off a feeling of strength and power. To give this style more of an edge, cut into the blunt line, to give an uneven edge.  

When creating this look, the top section can be tailored to suit the client, however I would advise using a texture or sea salt spray to give the look a much more creative feel and giving it a real uniqueness.  

The Perm  

Popular in SS21, the perm is back and going nowhere! Men are loving this voluminous textured look and this is set to stay as we approach early 2022. Teamed with a fade around the sides and back sections, this is a real statement look for the male clients out there and gives the illusion of thickness – something many guys are looking for. This is a great style which lasts for a while and is very popular with the younger, genz clients.  

The Short Slick  

Taking inspiration from celebrities such as David Beckham, Brad Pitt and Colin Farrell who have all sported this look, the short slick is a classic style which carries itself through winter 2021 to the new year, and will be hugely popular on the runways and with clients. Keeping hair a good length, the hair is slicked back towards the crown area, giving an effortless, classic look. The hair is cut at one length with a few disconnected layers included to allow the slick to sit perfectly when pulled back and can be parted into the classic curtain style if required.  

Stewart Roberts founder of Haircuts4Homeless is appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s New Year Honours List 2022.

Back in November 2014, Stewart was volunteering for the Salvation Army and decided to bring his scissors along. Afterwards, he posted some photos on Facebook and received an overwhelming response. Just like that, Haircuts4Homeless was born.

Haircuts4Homeless, is a charity where skilled hairdressers give their time to provide haircuts for homeless people in the UK. 

Today, Haircuts4Homeless is a registered charity with 67 projects across theUK & Ireland with 600 volunteer hairdressers and has given over 40,000 haircuts. 

“Whatever the causes of an individual’s homelessness, the consequences can be brutal. Homelessness damages people’s capability: they lose skills; they can’t think think about employment while worrying about housing; their health becomes impaired due to being homeless. It knocks their resilience, self-esteem and self-confidence.” 

“There is something very personal about cutting someone’s hair that can be both enjoyable and therapeutic which is something that many homeless people rarely get. Homeless people have many challenges to face, one of them often being low self-esteem. A haircut can have a great effect on someone, giving them a real boost. It’s often way down on a homeless person’s priorities so this service which for most is a luxury proves to be very popular.” Stewart Roberts, founder. 

One of people’s basic rights is for them to feel good about themselves and this service can give that to people. It may be “just a haircut”, but it’s the kindness shown that makes a homeless person know that people really care. 

“It was such an honour to receive this MBE and a real highlight after two challenging years. I have been working with the homeless for over seven years and no one really knows how much it completes me.

“Having battled with addiction for many years it has given me an empathy and understanding that enables me to make a connection with our guests and quickly form a trust that is essential in what we do. 

“It has not been an easy road with covid and challenges to secure funding; however, this award is in recognition of our army of volunteers and guests,” said Stewart Roberts MBE. 

https://www.haircuts4homeless.com/
https://www.stewartroberts.net/ https://www.facebook.com/Haircuts4HomelessUK/