Salon wins award for honouring trainee staff
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A BEXHILL hair and beauty salon is celebrating after winning an award at Sussex Coast College during National Apprenticeship week (February 6-10).
The Retreat, based in St Leonard’s Road, is an eco-friendly hair and beauty salon and boasts many awards.
Salon director Emma Hellier said winning the Best Employer Award for Services to Apprentices speaks volumes about the hard work and dedication of her young staff. “The salon has won awards over the years for various things but the ones I am always most proud of is when its the young people in my team.
“You hear so much bad press about ‘teenagers’ these days but my apprentices couldn’t be further from the stereotype.
“They are punctual, reliable and confident, relate to clients of all ages, really throw themselves into salon life and often assist me on photoshoots and fashion shows on their days off and never complain.
“We were delighted to find out that we won the award for Best Employer Award for Services to Apprentices.
“Considering the college has students from salons as far away as Rye, we were thrilled to win.”
Emma said she is proud of her apprentices who work long hours as well as fitting in days at college and their in-salon training, adding: “Without their hard work we wouldn’t even be nominated for the award.”
Emma, who has a background in teaching, said she is pleased that apprenticeships are still being recognised in the UK believing that they are beneficial to young people and their future whatever career path they take.
“Apprentices are the heart of our salon as every member of the team has a part in growing their future.
“I encourage my staff to follow teaching careers alongside their day-to-day job or to become NVQ assessors and teachers, which is a great step for them and helps the keep the salon growing and developing.
“Even if my apprentices decide hairdressing is not their chosen career, an apprenticeship gives them valuable life skills that can be used in any other job.”
PICTURED: The Retreat’s apprentices Libby Jasper, Gemma Willard and Lucy Gray
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Weather for Bexhill-on-Sea
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 14 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
