When 18-year-old Reiss Randall got an apprenticeship at a hair salon in Bournville, he wasn’t just helping himself to grow, but the business he was working for too.

After eight months of learning the ropes on the salon floor and training at South Birmingham College he is now a respected member of the team and is on his way to achieving his goals and helping the salon achieve theirs.

After school Reiss did a fulltime course in sport but realised it wasn’t for him. He got a Saturday job in a local hair salon to earn some money and soon realised hairdressing was the career for him. He applied for a junior position at Stevensons Hair Salon only to find out that it was an apprenticeship – something that he had not considered before.

Reis said: “I was delighted when I was told about the apprenticeship. It meant I could be in the salon learning from colleagues, gaining the skills I needed and learning how to deal with clients but also be able to go to college for just one day a week and get the essential training I would need to work my way up the career ladder.

“It is quite a big thing for someone my age to be able to earn money without falling behind in education. In the college I am learning about things like the theory behind hairdressing, hair structure and customer service from experienced tutors in a really professional environment and I can put these lessons to practise while I am at work.