A cut above

MEDIA RELEASE
July 2009

A cut above

Wellington’s up and coming hairdressers were out in full force at the Wellington Regional Hairdressing competition held 19 July at the Lower Hutt Town Hall.

Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) second year hairdressing student, Dominique Whittaker placed first, second and third in three events. As well as gaining top honours and new pair of GHD hair strengtheners as part of her prize, Dominique says winning is a good way of gaining a profile in industry. “It’s got my name out there. People at the competition were interested in talking to me about working for them after I complete my studies. Everyone that has anything to do with the hairdressing industry was at the event. I think it’s been good for my career.”

WelTec students made their creative mark on the event in both the pre-apprentice and apprentice sections with Angie Riyad, Rachelle Young, Dinah Luke, Dominique Whittaker and Lei Lei Sun placing in their respective fields.

Hairdressing Tutor, Helen Johnston believes competitions provide an opportunity to experience what the industry is all about. “These types of competitions are good for students to gain exposure to the industry and to meet prospective employers. It takes them out of their comfort zone and pushes their creative boundaries.”

The results were reward enough for Helen and colleagues. “I was so pleased with the results and very proud of my students. It just highlights why I love teaching. Some past graduates also won awards which was really great to see. The judges commented that the pre-apprentice work done by WelTec was better than some apprentice work that they had seen and they couldn’t believe the quality - that was very rewarding to hear.”

The next major project for the students will be working on the Montana World of Wearable Art Award Show. “I’m looking forward to working on WOW, it will be another good experience and something to add to my resume” says Dominique.

Adding hairdressing to her degree in fashion, Dominique is keen to match the two in some way in her career. “Fashion compliments hairdressing and vice versa. My studies have been a great way to get through my apprenticeship faster, but more importantly it’s a good way to learn the right way of doing things. Here we learn the fundamental skills, learn about a range of different scenarios working in the salon with the support of the tutors. I get a buzz from styling someone – to do that every day is reward enough.”
Image: Dominique Whittaker, Helen Johnston and Lei Lei Sun.

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