Wednesday, May 23, 2012 

by Colin Farmery

A state-of-the-art training hair salon has been officially opened at St Vincent College,  Gosport giving students access to some of the best facilities in the area.

The £100,000 refurbishment was completed earlier this year, but was only officially opened this week at a special ceremony attended by students, staff and local salon owners.

Branded ‘T7’, the previous name of the derelict classroom which has been transformed into the purpose-designed salon, the facility will enable the college to broaden its range of courses in the subject area.

Principal Di Lloyd did the honours and she said how important the new facility was to the town: ‘We have been offering hair courses at the college for four years, but the opening of this new salon takes things to a new level.

‘This is a truly professional environment and the students have already told me how being able to deal with customers in this salon has boosted their confidence. This department is increasingly at the heart of college life, such as preparing hair for college productions, and I am confident it will go from strength to strength.’

Teacher Jamie Martin, the stylist who runs the department added: ‘We have noticed a significant uptake in clients since we opened the salon and I am expecting numbers to grow significantly as word spreads.

‘We are keen to work with other salons in the town to ensure that we provide the highest quality trainees who will become the hair and beauty professionals of the future.’

And Tony Wood of the Clocktower at United Salons, in Portsmouth, who attended the event, backed the initiative: ‘Jamie and the college have done an amazing job creating a smart, contemporary current salon in which the students can learn and perfect their art.

‘I see many places on my travels and I can honestly say that not only will it be the perfect breeding  ground for young stylists, but an asset to the community too.’

For more details of the T7 salon and its courses contact 023 9260 3591 or 023 9260 3592. St Vincent College offers Level 1 and Level 2 Diplomas in Hairdressing, as well as part-time courses for adults.