A former apprentice, who completed her year- long apprenticeship in just five months, has returned to City of Bath College to inspire the next generation of hair stylists.
Harriet Barber visited students to share her experiences of being an apprentice and to give them top tips for building a career in hairdressing.
At the age of just 21 Harriet is working as an artistic director and senior stylist at David Maxwell Hairdressing in Widcombe.
She spoke to about 10 Level 2 hairdressing apprentices and gave several hair demonstrations.
She said: “I’ve gone from shampooing hair on Saturdays as a 14-year-old girl to organising all the photo shoots for a top salon.
“I knew what I wanted to do so I just went for it. You have to have a goal then do everything you can to reach it.”
Harriet urged the apprentices to remain focused on their careers and push the boundaries by entering hairdressing competitions.
She told them: “You have always got to show initiative. Be pro-active, even right at the start of your career when you might think it doesn’t matter.
“You’ve got to respect knowledge and take every chance you can to learn.”
Harriet started working in a hair salon when she was 14, shampooing the hair of customers after school and on Saturdays.
She took an interest in the work of the stylists and always asked them questions. This meant she quickly progressed to helping them with colouring and blow drying and before she’d gained her NVQ, she had already been promoted to a graduate stylist.
Harriet took a Level 2 Hairdressing Apprenticeship and said attending City of Bath College one day a week “meant everything” to her career.
With so much salon experience and regular customers, Harriet was able to complete her NVQ in just five months – she finished in January, while the rest of her class finished in June. She was also named one of the College’s top 100 successes.
She said: “College was very important to me as I had the experience but I needed to prove that I knew the basics to move forward.
“My college achievement remains my greatest one.”
Harriet has been a finalist in several hairdressing competitions and also spent eight months in Australia, working alongside Paula Kelly who was an Australian Hairdresser of the Year finalist in 2009.
She said: “I had only been qualified for a couple of months and I was only 18, but I was helping to train people a lot older than me.”
She joined David Maxwells about 18 months ago and says she’s “fulfilled her dream” to put her creativity skills to the test in a job she loves.
Harriet’s boss David Maxwell, who describes her as “simply natural raw talent,” is to visit City of Bath College next month to talk to apprentices.
