Apprentice at Scots Hair Design hopes that Grantham Journal Business Award win will inspire others

An apprentice was given an award for his “exceptional contribution to the workplace”.

Declan Parkes, of Scots Hair Design in Swinegate, Grantham, won Apprentice of the Year at the 2022 Grantham Journal Business Awards.

Ellie Langton, of sponsor Grantham College, said Declan has made an “exceptional contribution to the workplace” and his “commitment” and “dedication” express his “outstanding levels of success”.

Declan, a second year apprentice at Scots Hair Design, is no stranger to winning awards as he beat finalists from across the UK to win assistant of the year at HJ’s British Hairdressing Business Awards in July 2022.

Declan spoke about how he continues to evolve his skills through qualifications and industry events, as well as his plans for the future.

What did it mean to win the award?

To win an award locally was invigorating. Not only was it a phenomenal feeling being a finalist and recognised in my home town for my work, I have gone on to win the award that I aim to use to inspire future apprentices I cross paths with.

I endeavour to help them remain completely dedicated to their education, career goals and future in general. Not everybody has the opportunity to be congratulated in such a way for their hard work, therefore it’s a privilege to receive such an accolade.

I feel so incredibly lucky to be recognised for success within my home town and hope to make good use of the award I have received.

Why do you think you stood out to the judges?

This question is rather difficult to answer, purely because I believe each finalist in this category was extremely talented. Though I would say that my passion for the hairdressing industry, dedication to my education and commitment to my role is what stood out.

In addition, I believe my will to guide others towards success, the enthusiasm I bring to the Scots team and my customer service may have given reason to award me the Apprentice of the Year award.

Tell us a bit about your role and what you do?

Since qualifying my level 2 diploma in August 2021, I have joined the shop floor as a graduate stylist in the salon. Alongside trying to make hair dreams come true, I am working towards my advanced creative diploma.

At Scots Hair Design I offer all kinds of hair services, such as cutting, colouring, treatments as well as creative styling such as, bridal, prom and occasional hair, which has always been a hobby of mine.

I find learning all the product knowledge very interesting. This enables me to offer quality advice to clients regarding their hair and recommend the perfect hair colour, home care regime or professional products from a range of brands we stock to best suit the clients needs and lifestyle.

I am very fortunate at Scots to be continuously educated. These sessions can be in house or external, up and down the country. I also visit industry events to keep up to date, inspired and learn new trends to keep my services fashion forward and current.

What are your aims going forward?

I am currently working on building my clientèle and will continue to do so. This award will aid in that immensely. I hope to have completed my advanced creative professional in January and from here I would like to gain more experience in session styling and back stage work.

As a member of the Fellowship for British Hairdressing, I hope to join the CLUBSTAR Art Team and from there, the F.A.M.E Team (Fellowship Academy of Merit and Excellence) where I can be be enrolled on to a 12-month mentoring program and able to assist some of the top hairdressing professionals to broaden my knowledge and excel in my career.

What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced?

The training you must undergo towards a successful career is a challenge in itself. I believe if something doesn’t challenge you, then you should push harder to gain the most from the experience. It goes without saying that the biggest challenge over all, similar to many, was coronavirus. It halted my training, postponed my end point assessment to qualify, cancelled courses in London and stripped away all industry events that keep hair professionals inspired. There are, however, always things that can be done. I used social media platforms to continue my education, completed online courses/qualifications and constantly practised and experimented creatively with my skills at home to continue personal development.

How have your bosses/team helped with your success?

The whole team at Scots Hair Design has been the biggest support. Behind every success of mine this far has been a fabulous set of people that have consistently pushed me towards my goals.

They have quite literally been there through times of tears and joy. The skills the Scots team have are second to none and assisting them through my training was imperative. My bosses, Jennifer Low and Simon Spray, have offered me opportunity after opportunity to build a concrete set of skills and quality knowledge of the hairdressing craft for which I’ll always be grateful.