With youth unemployment steadily rising, schools are doing what they can to prepare young people for the world of work. At Rastrick High School students aiming for a career in hairdressing will be a cut above the rest because their school has its own teaching salon staffed by professional stylists. Hilarie Stelfox reports

THE WORLD of hairdressing is packed with opportunities, even in a recession.

And pupils at a Calderdale school are getting the chance to get ahead in the business by having its own salon.

Leanne Crowe, a stylist with 15 years salon experience and a hairdressing tutor for the last five, said: “It’s a great business to be in. Even at the moment that’s true because as one salon closes another opens.

“There are jobs to be found and anyone who has some experience will be more likely to get one.”

Leanne is manager of the Mark Riley salon in Brighouse which has its own training academy. In an unusual partnership between business and education she was invited to teach at Rastrick High School to bring a commercial environment to the school’s salon.

Assistant headteacher Bev Peartree said: “We were looking for a way for the students to work with people who have direct experience of the commercial sector.’’

And so, since September this year, Leanne and her colleague, Abigail Pike, visit the school for three sessions a week, teaching Year 10 and 11 students the basics of hairdressing. Leanne also encourages input from her academy students and the day we visited the training salon she was accompanied by 17-year-old Jake Ratcliffe from Elland who is studying for an NVQ Level 3 in hairdressing. She said: “He helps me with the teaching and learns in the process.”

The Rastrick school students take an NVQ Level 2 qualification – a GCSE equivalent – which means they can leave school at 16 with something valuable to offer potential employers.

“And it’s not just about hairdressing skills,” says Bev. “Working in the salon teaches them about business and gives them confidence. It teaches them some of the customer service skills and how to talk to clients. There’s a huge range of softer skills and we have seen massive developments in our students’ confidence, problem solving and communication with each other. It provides valuable experience even for those who don’t ultimately go into hairdressing.”

There has been fierce competition within the school for places on the hairdressing course. Launched in the academic year that began in September 2009, there are a maximum of only 12 places for each year group but up to 30 students have applied each year.

Bev added: “Hairdressing is one of those vocational subjects that is sometimes seen as only for those who have a barrier to education and are not academic, but we don’t see it like that and we have very bright ‘A’ students doing hairdressing.”

As Leanne can testify, the brightest, most able stylists can rapidly rise through the ranks to become salon managers or owners.

She began work as a 13-year-old “sweeping up in the salon” and is now running a major training salon.

But it’s also true that entry to college to study hairdressing requires only minimum educational standards in English and mathematics.

The advantage Rastrick students will have over other 16-year-olds leaving school to go to college or look for work in a salon is that they are already familiar with industry practices.

“An employer is much more likely to take them on,” says Leanne. “At that point they will be able to put colour on and will have started cutting.”

There’s an added incentive for graduating students from the high school salon. A place at a Mark Riley salon will be awarded to the most successful.

For 14-year-old Jacob Whittam from Birchencliffe the chance to style hair and work in the school salon takes him one step closer to his ambition of having his own salon. Hairdressing is in his family as both a grandfather and uncle are hairdressers.

“I want to go to Australia to work in my uncle’s salon,” said Jacob. At the moment, however, he’s content with travelling to Manchester at weekends to work as a Saturday boy in his grandad’s salon.

Fellow student Cassley Oliver, 15, wants to go into hairdressing but only after she’s completed her A-levels. An academic student, she says she hasn’t made up her mind about what she wants to do but feels that the hairdressing option at school has encouraged her to think about a career in the business side of the hair industry.

Emma McMartin, 14, says she has always wanted to be a hair stylist. “I have a real passion about hair,” she explained.” I do my friends’ and my mum’s hair. I think it’s a really nice thing to be able to do for someone else.”

The Rastrick student is delighted that her high school can offer exactly the course she needs to enter hairdressing.

Bev said: “In the past before we had the salon we had to re-arrange a student’s schedule so they could go to college and it had an impact on their other subjects.

“Now they are learning in school with proper professionals.”

This year the school plans to open its salon to the wider public. Family, local residents, friends, staff and fellow students will be able to book a blow dry or re-style, adding another commercial dimension to the salon.

Rastrick was fortunate to secure funding for the creation of the salon as part of a scheme to develop a range of skills for students.

It was the last school to benefit from special funding by the Government’s Young People and Learning Agency. As well as building a salon, the cash was used to boost provision for other vocational courses in subjects such as construction and engineering.

In times like these high schools have to be creative and innovative in order to give their pupils the best chance of finding work or entering training.

l According to figures from the Hair and Beauty Industry Authority the industry employs around 250,000 people and there are 35,700 hair salons/businesses. The sector is expected to start growing again in the next 12 months after suffering due to the economic recession over the past couple of years.