A GORLESTON hair salon is offering young budding hairdressers the chance to gain a step on the career ladder earlier by launching its own hairdressing academy.

A GORLESTON hair salon is offering young budding hairdressers the chance to gain a step on the career ladder earlier by launching its own hairdressing academy.

Fusion, on the High Street, aims to launch the academy - targeted at year 10 and 11 pupils - in September.

Salon owners Tanya Sutcliffe and Kevin Huggins believe the academy would raise pupils' aspirations as well as increase the number of pupils leaving school with qualifications as well as providing a prog-ression to further education.

Mr Huggins has taken the idea to several local schools and has been encouraged by the response so far.

He said: “I have been to four schools in the area and they seem quite keen - we already have one on board.”

Pupils in high schools already have the opportunity to go to college for one day a week. However, Mr Huggins said pupils would benefit from being in a real salon and seeing fully-qualified stylists at work.

A backroom in the salon will be transformed into a training room complete with basins and mirrors so youngsters can learn the basics of hairdressing as well as health, hygiene and safety.

The academy will operate five days and week and will cater for seven pupils at a time.

Mr Huggins said that falling “in love” with a career like hairdressing could also boost pupils' efforts in the classroom.

“If they fall in love with it, they will work hard at it and the academy is coupled with pupils achieving well at school.”

To be in the academy, pupils will have to gain a minimum of five GCSEs including maths and English language and literature as well as have a 90pc attendance rate.

Pupils would be taken on for two years and would gain an NVQ level one in hairdressing at the end of the course.

Mr Huggins added that schools in the area interested in taking part in the scheme could contact him at the salon on 01493 603336.