Award-winning Apprentices are a Cut Above

Jude Bale, an apprentice from NOVA Partner J & E Training, is helping top Essex hair salon 'Strangeways' become even more successful.

The Leigh-on-Sea based salon has, with the help of The NOVA Partnership's apprentices, produced a national hairdressing award winner and a 'reality-TV' star.

Martyn Holmes, owner of the salon, is proud of the achievements his apprentices have made and feels the programme J & E Training operate via The NOVA Partnership has helped develop exciting new talent for the future and improve his own business operations.

Martyn explained, "I am really pleased with the results. The training has greatly increased the confidence of my staff and we are benefiting from employing hairdressers who are qualified in all aspects of the business and can work to the standards we expect. All training is carried out in-house so students do not have to leave the salon for a whole day to attend college."

Jude, a Colour Technician from Southend, completed her Foundation Apprenticeship five years ago and has since gained her Advanced Apprenticeship too. Her excellence and great strides in the industry led to her winning the national Pantene Pro V Award and securing a £5,000 bursary for Best Up-and-Coming Hairdresser at a ceremony held at the Royal Albert Hall. Her colleague, and fellow apprentice, Justin Hills, is head assistant at 'Strangeways' and was picked from thousand of hopefuls to appear in Channel Four's hit TV show, 'The Salon'

Jude explained her success and applauded the programmes provided by The NOVA Partnership: "The Apprenticeship has played a huge role for me as without the qualification, I would not have been put forward for any award. The scheme is excellent as all the training is done in the salon and students are able to work with clients rather than models which is a great experience."