Our Experiences as Adult Learners – Women’s Hairdressing

If you’re thinking about returning to College as an adult, you’re not alone.  

One of our most popular adult courses is our Level 2 in Women’s Hairdressing, where you’ll learn the key skills and experiences needed to work as a qualified hairdresser.  

Taking place in our on-site Salon, you’ll also get to work with real clients to build your portfolio and to take your career that next step further.  

We’ve spoken to past and present adult Hair learners to hear what they enjoyed about this course, how they’ve developed, and what it’s like to study in College.  

Yuilia McKinley 

“I’m 36 years old and in the beginning, I would have thought it was too late to change my career. 

“I love the course as this is my chance for a new life, to make my new career, to build and learn new skills, and I enjoy it because of the people.  

“I have lots of new experiences here such as practising with my hair skills and my language skills. I’ve been able to take part in competitions such as KFE4Skills where I’ve made period looks. I came first in the KFE category I was in, which was incredible.”  

“I was a teacher in a university, but it became quite ‘samey’, so I’ve progressed in a different way. I’m now so happy, and so relaxed and I’ve enjoyed doing the treatments. 
 
“The staff are so helpful. I could never believe it would be so easy but they are very good at teaching us what we need to know.” 

Gemma Muncaster 

“I would recommend studying Hairdressing here to anyone who is sitting at home and wondering if they can do it. 

“I did the Level 1 a few years back which then led onto Level 2. Barbering was a great unit to do alongside as I learnt so much. 

“Jess as a teacher makes you feel so comfortable. It’s been great to build my confidence and now have a skill that I can walk out of here with.” 

Sophie Harper 

“Personally, I had a career change, as Hairdressing is always something I wanted to do and something I’d never pursued. I guess being an adult, it is about taking a different leap. 

“I really enjoy more of the practical side. There’s always something to learn and as the course gets towards the end, you feel like you’re doing more assessments to help with all the learning you’ve done. 

“It’s quite full on but I like that and you do learn so much. I like the fact you get to socialise and it helps me with my work. 

“I think colour’s been my favourite unit as you get to experiment and I’ve learned something completely new. When you don’t have a background in hairdressing, it’s quite interesting to watch and see. 

“You’ve got to be serious about what you want to do as you’re always learning, but I would highly recommend this course. I’m now working two days in a Salon alongside studying, thanks to the course, and I’d like to work more in the future.” 

Naomi Wilkinson 

“I’ve learned before about hair extensions, and I wanted to expand my knowledge, which is when I came across the course. 

 “Sometimes we work with the 16-18 students, which for me have brought my youth back and my playful side. As you get older, I think you become a bit more serious, so it’s nice being around the younger students and helping each other. 

“I went on a College trip to the ‘Salon International’ expo in London, where you get to learn different things from different hairdressers and companies.  

“I can now look back on this experience and see how far I’ve come along the way.” 

Hannah Smith 

“Hairdressing is always something that I wanted to do but I never had the confidence to do it while I was younger. 

“It’s now great that I can do it while I’m an adult. It’s building me life skills and allowing me to work around my children. I’m finally getting the skills to do what I want to do.” 

If you’re inspired by our learners’ experiences and want to start your Hairdressing career, explore our adult courses today: https://www.sheppeycollege.ac.uk/study-with-us/adults/