National award for young Bangor hairdresser
Lucy Price with the Traineeship Learner of the Year (Level 1) award.
A young hairdresser from Bangor has won a prestigious national award after showing exceptional talent and commitment to learning.
Lucy Price, 17, received the Traineeship Learner of the Year Level 1 award at the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru 2013, organised jointly by the Welsh Government and the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW). The high profile awards ceremony, attended by more than 400 guests, was held at the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport.
“Winning this award is just amazing and I just can’t believe I have got this far,” said Lucy. “It means the world to me because I have worked so hard and this shows how much I am appreciated at work.”
The awards recognise the outstanding achievements of learners, employers and providers involved in the delivery of quality apprenticeships and other work-based learning programmes across Wales. The Apprenticeship Programme is funded by the Welsh Government with the support of the European Social Fund.
Lucy left school with little hope or ambition, but today she works at TH1 hair salon in Bangor, where she is regarded as an outstanding employee with real potential to progress further.
Leaving school without any qualifications and only interested in hairdressing, Lucy enrolled on a Traineeship with Coleg Menai, where her talent and motivation were quickly recognised.
In the teaching salon, she showed exceptional skills and dexterity, so much so that she was fast-tracked through the engagement course and went on to achieve her Level 1 qualification ahead of target.
She is now working towards her NVQ Level 2 hairdressing qualification, which she is expected to complete well-ahead of target.
“When I started the hairdressing course, for the first time I found something I really wanted to do,” said Lucy. “I love my job and I’m very grateful to the college and the opportunities they have given me.
“I’d like to work my way up in the salon and maybe one day look at training to be a college tutor myself, so that I can help other young people like myself.”
Tracey Roberts from Coleg Menai said: “It is a well-used cliche when we say that people give 100% but in Lucy’s case it is absolutely true. She’s an amazing young lady who deserves to have her efforts rewarded and the successes she has achieved in her life recognised.”
Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, Ken Skates said: “The Apprenticeship Awards allow us to celebrate the range of skills that our young people have to offer as well as the dedication shown by employers and training providers and I’d like to congratulate all of the worthy winners.
“It was a real pleasure to meet such hard-working and ambitious young people who have all achieved so much, as well as the employers and training providers who have gone that extra mile in supporting young people to fulfil their potential. They are all a credit to themselves and an inspiration to others.
“Our recent budget announcement has confirmed an additional £12.5 million to extend our Jobs Growth Wales programme for a fourth year. This means that we can create more than 4,000 extra job opportunities for 16-24 year olds in 2015-16. The Welsh Government will also be investing a further £20 million in 2015-16 to support apprenticeships. This is excellent news for our young people and our employers and will allow us to make a real difference.”
Showcasing excellence in skills development in Wales, the awards are sponsored by Pearson PLC with support from media partner, Media Wales. Award Sponsors are Leadership & Management Wales and ACT Training.
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