Hairdressing tutors / enrolment liaison at our Napier campus.
After leaving school at 17 to pursue her dream to become a hairdresser she enrolled in a 'Pre-apprentice' programme at UCOL in Masterton (her home town)... whilst completing the course, she managed to get herself an apprenticeship at the salon she was doing work experience at and became fully qualified in 2011. Ashleigh even attended Premier in Lower Hutt for my off-job training!
Not long after becoming qualified she moved up to Napier and landed her dream job at a salon where she worked for many years. After nearly 12 years working in salons it was time for a change, Ashleigh was so excited when the opportunity to work at Premier came up as it has always been a dream of hers to be able to pass on her experience and knowledge on to others to help them become successful hairdressers and what better place than the same training facility that helped her become the hairdresser she is today.
We asked her a few more questions about her hairdressing journey.
What made you want to become a hairdresser?
I wanted to have a job that didn't feel like I was 'working' and one that would keep me inspired and motivated, I always enjoyed getting my hair done and looked forward to it even from a young age so the idea of doing that as a career was really appealing.
What do you love most about your job now?
I now have the best of both worlds, I enroll future students and seeing the students achieve the goals, there's nothing more rewarding than knowing that as tutors / enrolment liaison we are helping them to achieve their goals and adding to the industry at the same time.
What's the highlight of your career so far?
The moment I found out I had passed my final exam and become a qualified hairdresser. There were times where it was challenging and I thought of giving up, but I am so grateful for the support of my mentors and parents who saw the talent I had and encouraged me to see it through, and I've never looked back.
When you are not at work, where would we find you?
If I'm not working I love spending as much time as I can with my family and just hanging out at our home.