College apprentices given a head start

AT your service . . . Salon 7 manager Michelle Bradley (left) and beauty assessor Louise McDonnell

A TOWN centre hair and beauty salon staffed by apprentices has being nominated for a Pride in Oldham Award.

Oldham College opened Salon 7 in Queen Street in 2001 as a commercial training salon for its recently-qualified hairdressers and beauty therapists.

Since then customers have had nearly 25,000 treatments, ranging from facials, eyebrow tints and spray tans to stone therapy and ultrasound liposuction.

The salon is part of the college’s aim to make sure that students have the skills they need for work.

And it is so successful that it has been nominated in the hair and beauty retailer of the year category of the Northern Independent Retail Awards in Manchester on September 27.

Salon manager Michelle Bradley said: “We are very proud to be nominated for a Pride in Oldham award.

“Salon 7’s aim is to help newly-qualified hairdressers, beauticians and nail technicians secure jobs in their chosen profession by spending a year here at our finishing school. We have an excellent success rate; the majority of our apprentices go on to find full time jobs in a competitive industry.

“We would like to thank our customers for their continued support as it goes a long way to ensure our apprentices have the opportunity to continue improving their skills.”