Meet inspiring hairdressing apprentice morgan green

As HJi continues to meet some of the country’s inspirational apprentices, today we chat with 19 year-old Morgan Green from Samantha Blues Hairdressing in Clackmannan What attracted you to hairdressing as a career? I've been interested in hairdressing from a very young age. I used to sit with my dolls and pretend to cut their hair with my plastic scissors. I’m also a very creative person and I like this side of me to come across in my work. Why did you choose the salon you work for? My Boss, Samantha, is an in-house assessor so it meant that I didn't have to spend two years at college fighting for the attention of one lecturer and I heard so many good things about Samantha and her intense one-on-one training and the time she spends with each apprentice she trains. How long have you been enrolled in your apprenticeship? I have been enrolled in my apprenticeship since august 2013 and completed my level 2 in hairdressing in January 2014 in only five months – I believe I was the first person in Scotland to achieve this. Tell me about a typical day in your job? A typical day in my job consists of me opening up the shop, our team sitting down for the first 15 minutes of the day and having a look at the appointment book and making sure the senior stylists have everything they need for the day ahead. Having worked on models every day and evening for the past year, I have started to build my own column up and have a healthy clientele. But I also still help with the day-to-day running of the salon, keeping the salon clean and tidy, mixing up colour, shampooing clients, and helping apply colours with senior stylist. It’s always a good way to meet new clients and be more involved and learn new things each day. During any spare time I have I like to shadow the senior stylists because it’s always good to learn from them and discover any new techniques. What are the major lessons you have learnt so far in your apprenticeship? I knew starting my apprenticeship at 18 was going to be a little more difficult than if I was 16 because of the pressure to get it all finished in time for funding reasons, but so far I have learned that if you want something bad enough you can achieve it if you try your best and never give up. Why is an apprenticeship a great way to learn? An apprenticeship is a great way to learn because it lets you see or have a small taster of what is to come when you finally qualify, it also helps build your confidence and your daily skills, including offering good customer service. It’s a more direct approach of dealing with day to day life in a job and is a very valuable experience. For me to reach the top of my game, my apprenticeship will give me both the qualifications and the qualitiess I will need to climb the ladder. What do you love most about your job? The most rewarding part of my job is making the clients happy; when a client turns round to you after they've had a rubbish day and they say ''you've made my day'' it makes me feel good about myself knowing I have cheered someone up and they are going out our salon door feeling better about their day. Where would you like your career to go in the next few years? I want to gain my level 3 qualification in hairdressing and get onto the floor properly with a healthy clientele and have the title of graduate stylist rather than junior stylist. I love the editorial and artistic side of hairdressing so I would love to enter lots of competitions get my name and my work out there. This year our salon has entered the L'Oreal Colour Trophy and I loved the whole experience of finding my model, choosing my overall style and look and creating that look. The best part was doing the photoshoot and seeing the finished product, made me feel quite proud of myself, but I couldn't have done it without Samantha's guidance and support. What is your ultimate career ambition - and how will your apprenticeship help you get there? My ultimate career goal is to work in television, behind the scenes in fashion shoots and catwalks, and to be able to travel the world showcasing my work and progress as a person. I feel working at Samantha Blues will definitely help me reach my goals.