Students complete virtual work experience week in industry style

Meeting nine artists/therapists and exploring seven work locations online led to hair and beauty students at Walsall College enjoying a successful virtual work experience week.

Around 180 hairdressing, barbering and beauty students networked with local and internationally established professionals.  They also completed a creative and business-based project.  This was a way of developing their world of work expertise.

Jackie Bradnick, Work Experience Coordinator at the college said: “Virtual Work Experience Week ensures students are continuing to collaborate with key employers, businesses and people during lockdown.

“We have been fortunate this week to introduce learners to talented people who work independently, are in partnership with others, or are employees in established settings.  This gave the students a chance to focus on specific roles and working practices as a way of enhancing their own skills and ambitions.

“A big thank you to everyone who supported us.”

Industry experts taking part included:

• Phoebe Wade of  Obsession Salon and Spa

• Emma Collins of Crown Academy of Aesthetics

• Lewis Moore of Lewis Moore Salons

• Laura Boland of Glam Ibiza

• Hannah McKnight of NuEra Barbers

• Laura Deville of Vogue Hair & Beauty

• Hannah France and Milly Spilsbury at Hoar Cross Hall

• Kate Reynolds, make-up artist

Phoebe Wade is artistic director at the Lichfield-based Obsession Salon and Spa.  She set the students an employer-led project on a wedding theme.  This involved creating a mood board and a cost and profit worksheet, then presenting these to a client.

Phoebe said: “I really enjoyed working with Walsall College students, setting them a project where they could really be creative and use their own inspirations to produce a mood board collaboration of all their ideas and then work towards narrowing it down and learning some business skills to go alongside it!

“Their engagement in the project was brilliant and their projects were diverse and innovative.”

Click on the links for further information about hair and beauty courses at Walsall College.