After leaving school at 16, Elisha Manning signed up for a full-time hairdressing course, however after just a few weeks she transferred to an apprenticeship and has just completed her training at Zak’s Hairdressing in Wolverhampton.
Elisha, now aged 19, said: “I decided to do an apprenticeship as it’s more hands–on and you get the experience of working with clients and learning on the job, which is a bonus.
“I’ve always had an interest in hair and the apprenticeship prepared me for working in the industry by teaching me the skills I need to be a successful stylist in a salon, including shampooing, cuts and colours as well as customer service skills.
“I was really relieved and happy when I completed my end point assessment and now I’m qualified I’m looking forward to running my own column and building up my clientele.
“Staying on at school to do A Levels and then going to university isn’t the only way of getting into your dream career – think about your options as there are lot more routes that you may not know about.”
