Andrew Barton’s ABLE (Andrew Barton London Education) a VTCT endorsed education programme is delighted to announce a new partnership with Manchester City College, the largest further education college in the UK and the number one provider of 16-19 and adult education in Greater Manchester.
The ABLE programme has been developed to support budding stylists and the hairdressing industry as it aims to tackle the current skills shortage and the challenge of attracting a younger workforce. ABLE (Andrew Barton London Education) is a unique two-year training programme designed exclusively for further education hairdressing college departments and delivered by acclaimed hairdresser Andrew Barton through a variety of exclusive training tools. Since its launch, ABLE has already qualified over 1000 hairdressing students in the UK.
The partnership with ABLE began with a personal visit from Andrew, giving the college team, students, lecturers and local employers the opportunity to meet Andrew and delve into the opportunities and benefits a career in hairdressing can offer. At a time when the industry is seeing a decrease in the numbers of apprentices, ABLE is supporting colleges to expand their offering and position hairdressing as a rewarding career.
Lecturers are ABLE to use the programme to enhance their teaching curriculum, which aligns perfectly with the advanced and creative hair professional apprentice standards and has three key aims:
* ABLE the qualifying student to be hairdressing salon ready.
* ABLE the qualifying student for employment within the hairdressing industry.
* ABLE the qualifying student for an aspirational career in hairdressing.
Being part of the programme also allows access to a variety of unique training tools including bi-monthly video tutorials linked to the standards and qualifications at Level 2 and 3 all with the added benefit of Andrew’s much respected industry experience. The videos immerse students in all aspects of hairdressing and are complemented by a printed manual of salon principles to equip trainee stylists for salon life.
Andrew has been a long-time champion of the salon-based hairdresser and cares passionately about the future careers of trainee hairdressers. The ABLE programme has been designed to allow Andrew to share his expertise, experience and passion with students across the UK. The scholarship is further supported with CPD for lecturers and visits by Andrew to the college.
Andrew Barton, Founder of ABLE commented: “At ABLE we care passionately about supporting hairdressing colleges in their pursuit of training the future of British Hairdressing. We know that many of the icons and stars of the hairdressing industry started their journey to success being trained in a hairdressing college. My own career started as an apprentice in a village salon and was complemented by being trained in a local college and I’m ever grateful for that start. We are delighted to welcome The Manchester College hairdressing team to ABLE and look forward to the amazing work we will do together to enquire the hairdressing students with the tools they need to be successful and build a great hairdressing career.”
Head of Department for Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy at the Manchester College, Jacqui Taylor, added: “We are excited to partner with Andrew Barton and his ABLE programme to co-create a curriculum alongside an award-winning industry expert. This collaboration provides a unique opportunity for both our staff and students to develop the knowledge, skills, and behaviours necessary for success in the industry. It marks a significant milestone in empowering our community to achieve excellence and remain at the forefront of a dynamic and ever-evolving sector.”