Townsville: Employer wanted for hairdresser apprentice
The 21 year old completed a Certificate III at the Queensland Hairdressing Academy this week with a glowing report from her teachers.
Now she is on the lookout for an 18-month apprenticeship with a Townsville salon.
Hairdressing was an industry with a severe skills shortage when Miss Lively began her studies two years ago.
She was able to enrol and pay for her course with help from Federal funding under the Structured Training and Employment Program (STEP).
New graduates now face a very different employment climate.
Despite these difficulties, her teachers said their newest graduate’s positive attitude and motivation would help her become a professional and well-respected hairdresser.
Miss Lively grew up in the western Queensland town of Richmond and only left when she was 19 years old to travel to Townsville for her studies.
She hopes to find a good job in her chosen trade so she can stay and expand her skills.
“My dad always said ‘you’ll never know what’s out there unless you go out and have a look’ so that’s what I am doing,” Miss Lively said.
“I really want to go down every path in hairdressing that I can.
“There’s so much more in hairdressing that I can explore.
“I like to make people feel good about themselves and hairdressing is fun.
“I really enjoy being creative.
“I have finished my Certificate III, now I have to find an apprenticeship so I can complete the rest of my training.”
Miss Lively’s teacher and Queensland Hairdressing Academy’s Townsville director of education Kerryn Schmidt said her young student had overcome much in her personal life to complete the course.
“Lateasha has faced a lot of adversity with the loss of her father and grandmother within weeks of each other but she pulled herself together and she came back and completed the course,” Mrs Schmidt said.
“In the face of such tragedy for someone so young, it is a credit to her.
“It doesn’t get much tougher than that.
“Lateasha is a very creative young lady, she is motivated and she approaches new things with a positive attitude.”
Mrs Schmidt said there was still a skills shortage in hairdressing, and apprenticeships came available for different reasons, so there were still opportunities within the industry.
