Blackburn College barbering apprentice Jackson follows in dad’s footsteps

Blackburn College Barbering Apprentice Jackson Ward is following in his dad’s footsteps by working together in their family-run salon, David Ward’s Barbers Shop in Chorley.

Jackson, who studied the College’s Barbering Level 3 Apprenticeship, achieved a Distinction grade in his End Point Assessment (EPA), becoming the College’s first Apprentice to complete an EPA in this subject in the process.

He is one of the first students to achieve Distinction since Blackburn College moved this Apprenticeship from national Frameworks to Standards.

Jackson, 18, said: “I chose to study at Blackburn College because it was the only College in the local area that delivered a Barbering course for my age group. The campus wasn’t too far from my home in Chorley, my Dad had attended the College as well and recommended it and the course sounded good – everything seemed right, it was the perfect fit.

“I enjoyed all of my course to be honest. I loved learning a new trade and new skills, the teachers were great and I met loads of new people who were interested in Barbering. Everyone on my course shared lots of interesting knowledge and ideas.

“Blackburn College helped prepare me for the future by teaching me industry techniques and theory which gave me a better understanding of Barbering.

“I learned about how things work and the structure of hair and I also benefitted from the practical side like shaving on mannequins, which helps you trust your ability and gives you the confidence to move on to people and cut clients’ hair.”

He added: “The support from my tutors was excellent, especially from my Assessor, Tammy Woods, and my tutor, Lee Thistlethwaite – they were brilliant! They were always there to help when you needed them, no matter what it was or when it was they would always provide advice.

“Everything has come full circle because I am now working as a Barber alongside my Dad in the family business – David Ward’s Barbers Shop in Chorley. I absolutely love working with him! We get along like a house on fire anyway, so working together in a family environment is great.”

Blackburn College is celebrating a 90% Overall Pass Rate across all Further Education courses through the 2019/20 academic year.

To apply for a Blackburn College A-Level, Technical and Vocational course, or a Blackburn University Centre Degree, please visit blackburn.ac.uk