Telford College’s hairdressing students got the chance to showcase their skills on a national stage when they took part in a new competition.
The Concept Hair Apprentice/Student of the Year competition has been organised by Concept Hair magazine to celebrate the UK’s best hairdressing and barbering students.
Six Telford College students took part in the Midlands heats, held at Stephenson College in Leicestershire.
Although none of them made it through to the national finals, staff and students still described it as a fantastic experience.
Hairdressing lecturer Kerrie Treharne said: “I am incredibly proud of all of the students who showed passion, determination and courage to enter the competition and compete in front of a big audience.
“It showcased some outstanding emerging talent for the industry – we were up against tough competition from colleges in Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
“The students worked really hard leading up to the event, with lots of hours practicing in and out of college to complete their final look. They loved the day, and gave me excellent feedback about the event.”
Each of them received a certificate of recognition on the day, a goodie bag and a ‘Team Telford’ certificate and star/scissor award, in recognition of their efforts.
Zoe Coughlan, Jenny Grogan and Roseario Lomax competed in the Avant Garde competition, where they had to present a spectacular creation of fire and ice within 40 minutes and showcase their skills on the salon floor in front of judges and fellow competitors.
Zoe said: “It was a lot of hard work. I’d like to say a big thank you to all of our mentors at the college, especially Kerrie. I can speak on behalf of the whole
group in saying we wouldn’t have had the confidence we did without the support from our tutor.”
Terrie Edwards added: “I loved helping the group prepare outfits for their models and Team Telford T-shirts for the students to wear; it bought us all together and I am grateful to Kerrie for arranging special recognition for me from Robert Eaton, who won hairdresser of the year 2020.
“We met him when we went to the L’Oreal studios in Leeds to watch Sally Brookes’ presentation – she was also Hairdresser of the Year for 2019.”
Jenny Grogan described the whole experience as ‘electrifying’, saying: “I was nervous before we got started but that soon turned into excitement. It gave me a real insight into what it would be like as a professional hairdresser.”
In another of the rounds, students were given 40 minutes to create a look designed on ‘The Roaring Twenties’ which was again showcased in front of judges and fellow competitors.
Donna Lindsay and Caitlin Steventon were among the Telford College students who took part in this section of the competition.
