Work-based Assessor Spotlight - Heather Scott
Work based training allows you to work towards a vocational qualification relevant to your employment, so you can learn while you earn and gain a recognised qualification.
Whether you are a young person looking for an apprenticeship, or an employer who is keen to train and develop staff, our business team can guide you.
Our apprentices are supported throughout their journey by our work-based assessors and in this week’s blog we meet our hairdressing assessor.
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Heather Scott, and I am the hairdressing work-based assessor for UHI Perth.
What were you doing before you joined UHI Perth?
I started my career at fifteen as a Saturday girl at John Gillespie Hairdressing. This is what I had planned on doing after I had left school, working my way up the ladder to senior stylist and then manageress. I was with this salon for ten years before moving to London where I had been offered the opportunity to be employed by Superdrug to manage the hair salon in their flagship store on Oxford Street, London. This is where I gained my qualifications in hairdressing, which allowed me to assess.
I stayed in London for five years before returning to Scotland and opening my own hair salon. I then worked in the Gleneagles hotel hair salon, which is a five-star resort. It was while I was working there that I got talking to the manager of the hair department at UHI Perth whilst she was in for a visit and in this conversation, it came up that the college were looking for a new hairdressing assessor and - as they say - the rest is history!
What does your role involve?
My role is to go out to salons that have employed a person that wants to achieve their hairdressing qualifications. The salons provide the training, and I observe the practical assessments. I also arrange the online exams that are required, and I support and guide the students in the best way to achieve the qualifications.
What’s the best part of your job?
I love my job as it gives me the opportunity to meet new people, visit salons that may have products that I have not used before, and to observe cutting and colouring techniques. No two days are the same for me which is what I enjoy also.
Why do you think apprenticeships are important to businesses?
Hairdressing is an ever-changing industry, and apprenticeships are so important as they are the ones that will continue to grow and develop. I have been in the hairdressing industry for over 35 years, and I take pride in being able to pass my knowledge and experience onto the next generation of hairstylists. Training is so important to gain the basic knowledge and then to build on that, it is also important to remember to carry on with continuous professional development as hairdressing is always changing with new products, cutting and colouring techniques. This means that your skills always stay up-to-date.
Within your trade, how can training and apprenticeship improve your skills and help move you up the career ladder?
Hairdressing is a very versatile career which can offer employment in salons or even in creative industries like tv shows, movies, magazine shoots, fashion shows and cruise ships. There is no limit to what direction you can take your hairdressing skills.
