Former Barbering Student Becomes Mentor

Level 2 Barbering students were joined by Headz Up Manager, James Sibley in a video call presentation and Q & A session exploring the world of barbering.

James explained that while barbering has always been part of his life, with his family owning a salon and barbers in Brampton, it wasn’t something he thought he would do as a career when he left school. While at school, James worked in the salon at weekends and over time he was trained as a barber on the floor, and his passion for barbering began to develop. James is now in his 18^th year of being a barber.

Very early on, James was aware that without appropriate qualifications he would not be as successful in his career as a barber, so he enrolled with Cambridge Regional College, Huntingdon Campus to train in Level 2 Barbering and Barbering Assessing, which he completed to gain a wider insight into the requirements of being a barber.

James is now Manager of ‘Headz Up’ Barbers, and he is very keen to support the next generation of barbers as they break into the industry. During the video call James talked about the things that are important to him in running a successful business, such as building a strong client base, making his customers feel important while in his barbers and how a complete booking system is what enables him to achieve this.

The students were able to ask their own questions, such as ‘how do you keep up with the trends, what tools do you recommend, and do you retail hair and facial products in the barbers?’

James was happy to talk through the operational aspects his business, giving the students the full insight into working in the industry. The over-arching message being that if you work hard, stay informed of trends and make your clients feel listened to and valued, you too can build a very successful career in barbering.

Find out more about Hairdressing and Barbering at CRC.