Two students from Stoke on Trent College have championed apprenticeships as the ideal career route for hairdressing.
Lewis Cope and Kaitlyn Perry are both studying a Level 2 Hairdressing apprenticeship and now 18 months into the course, they are looking at their next steps…

Lewis, who is an apprentice at LDW Hairdressing in Hanley, has always had a creative flair and initially wanted to pursue a career in the arts before discovering the possibilities hairdressing held.
“Being at the salon every week, you get infatuated with the protocol and the final results. You learn skills like time management, organisational skills, your punctuation plus your social skills improve the more time you spend there.


“When you are in the salon you need to be professional all the time, which ultimately prepares you for the working world,” Lewis explained.
After gaining his qualifications, Lewis wants to continue to learn and enhance his skills through online tutorials plus securing a full-time role at LDW Hairdressing.
“I’d like to stay at the salon and build up my clientele and business experience. Hairdressing is such a great industry to get into as the learning never stops, as there are always new trends and techniques to learn. There are so many realms you can into with hairdressing, whether it’s show work, fashion runways and working with top brands and celebrities; the sky is the limit“, Lewis said.
Kaitlyn, who is an apprentice at Charlie Brown’s Hair Studios in Hanley, had previously completed her Level 1 Hairdressing at the college, before applying for the apprenticeship, which has offered her the opportunity to both earn and learn.
She admits to being quite shy before starting at the salon but has seen her confidence soar after 18 months of being an apprentice.


“I had an established knowledge base already but I’ve continued to learn since being an apprentice at the salon. Your confidence levels and communication skills only improve, the longer you are in the working environment.”
Kaitlyn is thriving on the independence of having her own client base and customers and has ambitions of one day owning her own salon.
“I will be staying on at the salon after my apprenticeship ends to continue developing my skills. It is my dream to have my own salon and I’d also like to try being self-employed too.”
She has praised the nurturing environment in the salon as well as the college, where she can always ask questions and be shown directly new techniques and trends.
“I work in a team of five in hair at Charlie Brown’s, and I’m always asking them questions. We can also, always ask our lecturers questions at college too and find out more about the theory side of the industry,” Kaitlyn explained.
Kaitlyn also had a message for anyone considering an apprenticeship, saying,
“Go for it! Even if you haven’t got the confidence now, this will develop the more you learn and experience it.”
Lewis and Kaitlyn both shared their stories as part of National Apprenticeship Week, which is an annual celebration of apprenticeships and all the possibilities they offer for young people.
Find out more about Apprenticeships at Stoke on Trent College.