St Benedict’s Students complete new training programme at House of Swain

House of Swain Hair & Beauty salon in Whitehaven has recently hosted a group of students from St Benedict’s for a six week work experience course.

It was the first time the salon has offered the Future Me course, and St Benedict’s were honoured to be part of the new scheme.

The students have worked in the salon once a week for 6 weeks and have covered lots of aspects of salon life including meet & greet skills and shampooing and styling hair.

Jennifer Swain owner at the salon also taught the students about interview skills, and personal presentation to get them ready for when they head into the world of work.

She said:

“I’ve been really impressed with the learners that attended our Future Me course, they all made the decision to give up their time and invest in their future selves. They all worked to a professional standard  in the salon and show signs of a bright future. We look forward to offering this course to other learners in the coming months.” 

Mrs Muncaster, Head of Year 10 said:

“All girls thoroughly enjoyed the experience at House of Swain. The skills they acquired included hairdressing styles and new techniques, admin skills, health and hygiene, presentation, timekeeping, customer relations.”

“These are invaluable life skills going forward for our Year 10 girls at this stage of their school career and will stand them in good stead for future employability. We would like to thank Jen for her time, commitment and enthusiasm and are hoping to work with her again soon.”

The students all enjoyed it, Immy Cassley said:

“At Swain Hairdressing, I learned not only how to wash, dry and style hair – but I also learned lots about customer service and useful life skills! I learned how my voice, expression and demeanour can affect how a person feels, I learned how to interact with clients to make them feel the most comfortable, and I learned more about being an actual employee- how I should dress, arriving on time and working with my co-workers.”

Mia Smurthwaite said:

“I enjoyed the work experience. It has opened many doors and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity Jen at Swain has given me into working towards my future.”

Sophia Juson commented:

“During these six weeks I learned the professional way to wash and blow dry hair. This course also taught me how to treat clients in a hospitable manner and what I can do to make their experience more comfortable. Although I do not think that I will have a career in hairdressing, this course has left me with new knowledge on what working in a running business is like and how to present myself when applying for future jobs.”