Newbury College student Sofie De Lorenzo has been getting a head start in her career and gaining valuable industry experience thanks to Mark Kemp Hair Gallery.
Sofie, who studies Hairdressing at Newbury College, supported the salon team at Mark Kemp Hair Gallery with a variety of day-to-day tasks as part of her work placement.
The experience gave Sofie the opportunity to develop her practical skills and build her confidence within a professional salon environment. She learned more about client care, including how to welcome clients, make conversation, and improved her skills such as blow-drying techniques and hair washing.
Mark Kemp, from Mark Kemp Hair Gallery, said: “From her first day, Sofie has been a fantastic help around the salon. She has helped with greeting clients and reception duties, making clients feel comfortable, maintaining a clean salon area, gowning clients, shampooing and conditioning hair under supervision, and assisting stylists during services.
“Sofie is polite, very helpful and proactive, professional and a pleasure to have in the salon. She has shown maturity and commitment throughout.”
He added: “We are very happy to give back to the community and help young people progress with their course. It is also a great opportunity to meet keen students and see their potential, which could help our employee pipeline.”
Reflecting on her placement, Sofie said: “Everyone was really good to me. They were understanding and easy to talk to. I felt very welcome and was happy to help them out. They are amazing at what they do.”
She added: “Talking to clients and introducing myself was hard for me at first because I get very anxious. Mark helped me overcome that by encouraging me and noticing my efforts and achievements when speaking to clients.”
The experience has also reinforced Sofie’s career focus and aspirations as a future hairdresser.
She said: “The placement was so helpful for me. What helped me most was seeing how passionate they are and how much they love what they do. It made me even more interested in hairdressing.”
Work Experience and Industry Placements are a vital part of Newbury College’s ‘Careers, not courses’ ethos. Through partnerships with local employers, the College helps students develop skills, confidence and workplace understanding, while employers play an active role in shaping future talent. Placements such as Sofie’s show how this collaboration can create opportunities that benefit students, businesses and the wider community.
To find out more about supporting work experience and industry placements, visit https://newbury-college.ac.uk/employers