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Having recently left school, Evie Gravenor, knew she wanted to pursue a future in Beauty Therapy, however gaining experience and knowing which path to take to achieve this was where she required support. From here, Evie decided to enrol on to Itec’s JGW+ programme, which provided her with the assistance and encouragement to search for a placement that suited her interests. Evie felt it was time to start researching the placement opportunities that were available in her area, she soon came across The Suntrap Beauty Salon in Abertillery and sent an application through.
Evie explained –
“I was extremely interested in Beauty Therapy and was searching for a placement to help solidify my final decision.”
Evie’s employer Tarnya then stated –
“When Evie first came to the salon for an interview, out of all the candidates I interviewed, Evie was the only one that attended with her Mum”.
At the time this was a concern for Tarnya, as she wondered if Evie would be independent and attend the placement without her mum if she was to be offered the opportunity. Despite this, Tarnya saw potential in Evie and decided she wanted to offer her the position. Before starting the placement, Tarnya described Evie as “quiet and shy” however “she has now grown in confidence and communicates professionally with the clients and other members of staff within the salon”. After securing the placement Evie started her Level 1 Beauty Therapy Qualification with Itec and has been progressing ever since.
Throughout Evie’s time on placement, she had to battle and overcome multiple barriers. The main challenge she had to overcome was her confidence. Evie explained that the staff at The Suntrap Beauty Salon –
“Have been highly supportive both professionally and emotionally and have taught me so much within the industry, such as communication skills, customer service skills, the foundations of Beauty Therapy, and the diverse range of beauty treatments.”
All the skills listed above are essential within the workplace and will benefit Evie as she progresses her way through her career. As mentioned previously, one of the main barriers Evie had to overcome was her confidence and since being on placement Evie has shown an amazing improvement.
Evie’s future aspirations consist of wanting to open her own Beauty Salon and having the ability to showcase all she has achieved. Due to her amazing progression within her role in the salon, her co-workers decided to enter her into the ‘Hair and Beauty Apprentice of The Year Awards 2022’, Her application consisted of images of her work including gel nails – Evie made it to the final stage and from here placed 26th, stating she couldn’t be prouder.
Tarnya explained that Evie’s main accomplishments were –
“Her gel nail designs and overcoming her confidence issues and shyness”.
Evie advised, “co-workers have helped increase my confidence, allowing me to become a stronger beautician and a professional within the industry.”
We asked Evie if she would recommend JGW+ to a friend, and this was her response –