The first apprenticeships in Australia were introduced in 1855. I was not able to establish when the first hairdressing began but it was a long time ago. As hairdressers we are proud that we are “always looking to change” and to “stay current”.
Why do we still refer to our future hairdressers as an apprentice, as they did in the distant past?
My goal in 2024 is to eliminate this word from my vocabulary. For me, every person who is training to be a hairdresser is now an “emerging hairdresser” I know this word is commonly used by many already and I would love it if more delete apprentice from salon language. A small step but I want to make a statement for change to begin.
2024 can be the year of change in the way we train and develop a new culture of proud positive hairdressers at the beginning of their journey. They need to see a great career path and the steps to achieve need to be linked to today’s commercial salon needs not those of the past.
We all need to join together to say “no more” we want to be involved in a progressive structure that matches our needs and forward direction. This is not just about a name change we need a complete review of the whole system to attract and retain hairdressers who are excited.