Continued...
Van Clarke is so passionate about changing the industry's perception that he is working with government bodies to help change the vocational skills system. He also ensures his staff are constantly improving their minds with weekly stimulating materials. Moores' task last week was to sit through The Pursuit of Happyness, starring Will Smith. "It's really motivational and does make you think," she says, "Sometimes he gives us motivational books and tasks too."
Last year hairdressers ranked second in an overall job-satisfaction study by the University of Bath which was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. There must be something in it, given too that children often want to become hairdressers before their aspirational parents drum it out of them. Moreover, most of us are happy trusting our hairdressers with something that could make or break our appearance, and many of us tell them our deepest, darkest secrets. Why then are wages low, career prospects dire and public perceptions of the job so grim?
Van Clarke believes that the negative view of the hairdressing industry comes from "general poor and inconsistent standards, ineffective training, and the lack of a clear career path". He says "These have kept it as a fragmented cottage industry. Hairdressers reach a ceiling in their career too quickly and are then left to wither, losing all potential and eventually drifting out of it altogether."
In fact, Van Clarke confides that some partners at MVC enjoy six-figure earnings, comparable to doctors, mid-range lawyers, accountants and other professional practitioners.
The answer, he thinks, is the academy's back-to-basics approach. "We have very high standards and ensure our students understand the very basics at every stage before they can move onto the next," he says. "This involves working more like a sports coach, fine-tuning their moves so they are fully competent in practical skills. Too much education these days is about making the student feel good and not enough about making the student fully capable in all the practical areas for skilled execution."
Trainees at Van Clarke's academy receive education in trichology, psychology, personal presentation and public speaking, photographic work, catwalk shows, five-star service skills, business skills, media training, fashion and luxury lifestyle awareness.
Moores is now a graduate stylist, having completed her training, and has a client list of her own. Ziehl hopes to complete his training within the next seven months. Both testify to the hard work they've had to put in.
Says Moores, "I am on a constant high because I love it so much, but I also have virtually no social life. Our general hours are 8am to 7.30pm, but the latest I have ever left is 10pm. It's my choice, but it can be tiring."
"But the satisfied customer makes it all worthwhile," Ziehl adds.
"This year," says Moores, almost bursting with excitement, "I got to go to the Designer Wedding Show as an actual stylist rather than an assistant."
This article appeared in The Guardian on Saturday November 24, 2007.
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