March Hair was established in Plymouth in 1986 and has grown to have three stylish salons in Plymouth city centre, Hyde Park and Yelverton. The Hairstylists and Beauty Therapists are experts in their field and are passionate about creating beautifully styled hair and providing specialist treatments. Their customers clearly agree with an abundance of positive reviews, such as “If you’re looking for a new salon I would 100% recommend March Hair!” and “I’ve been using this salon for 20 years. I’ve never even thought of going anywhere else”.
We sat down with March Hair Director, Tanya Bader, to discuss apprenticeships and the impact they have had on the business.“We have employed lots of apprentices in the past and have developed a good radar for knowing who will be an asset to our salons. We have a strict recruitment process to ensure we choose the right apprentice, including a trial period and rigorous checks.
“We chose Skills Group as I already knew the Hairdressing Programme Manager, so she was able to give us initial advice and guidance about the process. We have a good relationship with the Skills Group team we work with, especially our Business Advisor and they are always on hand to offer help and support when we need it. We would recommend Skills Group to other salons looking to take on apprentices.
“Our apprentices need to be well mannered with a positive attitude and always put their best foot forward. They are working in customer facing roles and dealing with a huge age demographic, from youngsters to the elderly, and therefore need to have the ability to interact with everyone.
“We currently have Claudia, a Level 2 Hairdressing Apprentice through Skills Group, who is working at our city centre salon. Claudia has definitely helped our business; she is versatile, willing to learn and often anticipates something before it is needed. Claudia also picks up new skills very quickly and is dedicated to her work, which makes the training process much easier for me. She is an excellent role model that other apprentices should aspire to be and is proof that apprenticeships work.
“We always use apprentices in the business and will continue to do so in the future”.