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Dalby high school students are straightening their career paths
TAFE Queensland Dalby offered the Certificate II in Salon Assistant (SHB20216) course through TAFE at School for the first time in 2023, and the take-up has seen the campus awash with high school students from all different backgrounds.
Zac Turrell from Dalby State High School, is one of the first in the region to participate in the pre-apprenticeship course, which appealed to him given it covers basic barbershop knowledge.
“My Aunty is a barber — she has a salon in Bundaberg. I've always had a little passion for it, but then I saw it offered at school one day and I thought I might give it a go,” Zac began.
“I signed up a bit late for it, but the teacher was very kind and helpful in catching me up.”
“So far, I’ve liked learning how to blow-dry and stuff like that. It’s really practical here. I feel like it is realistic — putting you in the right place to be able to go into a workplace,” shared Zac.
His experience in the training salon at the campus has led Zac to seriously consider a career behind the barber chair.
“As for my dream job, I wouldn’t mind being a barber professionally — that’d be pretty nice,” Zac said.
Dalby State High School student, Zac, is interested in learning more about barbering.
Ciana Barlow-Smith is also completing the Certificate II in Salon Assistant (SHB20216) course, however, is a little less local.
“I live in Tara (45 minutes away) and go to Tara Shire State College. Tara is not all that big. So, one of the biggest privileges I guess, is being able to come here and study different things,” Ciana said.
An interest in creative hair styles also motivated Ciana to attend the course.
“I was inspired to enrol in the course by other hairdressers. I’d see a lot of hairdressers around and all of them had the best-looking hair or some of the wackiest-looking hair, and that's really cool to me. It interests me — I want to be able to cut hair and just do all of that,” Ciana shared.
“I’ve learnt to be a lot more confident here. When I first started, I was covering my face as I didn't want anyone to see me. And now I've been ‘out there’ and do what I want.”
“I also have a job back in Tara at the Foodworks, but I’m behind a counter there, whereas this is obviously very hands-on and you become more confident in front of people.”
Tara local, Ciana, travelled to the Dalby campus to gain skills for future career opportunities.
TAFE Queensland Hairdressing Teacher, Leeana Youngman, also observed Ciana’s courage flourish during the course.
“I’ve recognised an amazing amount of confidence growing within Ciana, as she progressed on to doing hairdressing services on clients in our training salon," Leeana said.
“She managed to do a full service including shampoos, treatments, head, neck and shoulder massages, blow-dries and braids, all within an industry salon timeframe.”
Jamaica Stokes, from the Brisbane School of Distance Education, is also completing the TAFE at School course, with a plan to begin a hairdressing apprenticeship next year.
“I want to finish the course, and then I want to start my apprenticeship. I want to pursue it as a career — I want to be able to do something I actually want to do, not just something that I've ‘got stuck with’.”
“And then I think my dream job will be something to do with hairdressing or makeup — definitely working overseas,” Jamaica said.
Jamaica is excited about where a career in hairdressing could take her.
Jamaica, together with Ciana and Zac, are all gaining in-demand skills to cut out a future career in hairdressing, barbering or to pursue further training.
According to Australian Government’s Labour Market Insight website, the demand for hairdressers is set to grow strongly to more than 69,600 workers by 2026 — an increase of more than 6,100 workers during the 5 years prior.