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Starting out

When Tammy Mellor was at school and considering what career she was going to choose, her first thought was to be an accountant. Her mother had been one and Tammy had done well academically at school. Tammy’s interests, however, lay elsewhere. ‘Sitting behind a desk drove me mad and I’d always been artistic so hairdressing seemed the natural option, but my school didn’t offer hairdressing,’ she says.

Undeterred, Tammy completed her A Levels and began working for TPL Hairdressing, a top chain of salons in the North West of England, as an apprentice in July 2002. Since then, she has not stopped building on her skills. ‘I’m one of those people who’s willing to learn everything. I want to better myself.’

Training at TPL

Tammy worked hard to complete her Foundation Modern Apprenticeship at TPL and decided to take qualifications and education further, choosing to do an NVQ Level 3 and Diploma in Hairdressing to give her an Advanced Apprenticeship. ‘I felt this would benefit me as I was interested in doing more work with younger candidates, either assessing or teaching later on in life,’ she says, clearly committed to going beyond the basic professional requirements for hairdressing.

‘I am very interested in the creative side of my trade so I joined the company’s artistic team which involves presentational and photographic work and competitions, this in turn helped with my NVQ Level 3 and Diploma because I had experience in this area.’

Tammy’s dedication to her profession would not have been possible without the support of TPL. The chain of salons are run by Tim Lawton who started up TPL 15 years ago in Nantwich, before opening further outlets in Allsager and then Crewe. The salon now employs 60 people with 25 on apprenticeships. ‘It’s my 30th year in hairdressing,’ says Tim. ‘When I opened TPL my main objective was to bring primary hairdressing – the kind you get in cities – into more rural locations with a big emphasis on training. Having not been allowed to do a City & Guilds course myself when I was working a salon, I realised the benefits of training and knew that TPL’s success relied upon it.’

‘Because hairdressing is more recognised as a profession, people are more focused. Tammy is a prime example of that. She understood her end goals, passed with distinctions in an exceptionally short period of time and took full advantage of the extra-curricular activities,’ he says, more than aware that TPL runs the danger of training and then losing highly qualified and motivated hairdressers. ‘We provide a proper career structure where employees can see growth – from a trainee and stylist through to a trainer and manager. We have to provide the culture as well if we want to keep people.’

Looking to the future

Now 22, Tammy is already a senior stylist at TPL, a major achievement for someone her age, and she hopes to one day run her own salon. Tammy is currently taking management qualifications and speculates that her education may one day come full circle if she has to study accountancy. ‘I like helping others to learn so I’m doing an A1 Assessors Award which means I’ll need to know a lot more. I’ve enjoyed studying everything because I know that it will make my life a bit easier.’