13 October 2015

The Fellowship for British Hairdressing and The National Hairdressers’ Federation have once again teamed up to offer a lucky stylist an exciting bespoke education package in the name of industry legend Christofer Mann.

The recipient of The Christofer Mann Step-Up & SHINE Scholarship 2016 will be a UK hairdresser who would not normally enter a competition but who has a passion for education and a genuine desire to learn and improve his or her skills. The selected individual will receive a bespoke education package worth £2,500, valid for one year, including expenses, a Mentor Meeting and ongoing support to help plan and activate their education year.

“This is such an exciting initiative” says stylist and trainer Debbie G, Step-Up & SHINE mentor.

Christofer was a huge supporter of grass-roots hairdressing and believed wholeheartedly in the concept of education for all. Once again the Step-Up & SHINE Scholarship is open to any stylist or assistant, of any age and any level, anywhere in the UK. No experience is necessary, just enthusiasm to learn. It sums up Christofer’s ethos and sits right at the heart of what both the NHBF and The Fellowship regard as fundamentally important.
The Scholarships 2015 winner was Sophie Freegard from Tops Hair Salon and Beauty, Melksham. I’ve had so much pleasure in mentoring them and seeing her benefit so much from the experience already and Sophie still has a number of training courses to go before the end of her training year, she adds. 

The details of the competition are as follows:

  • The Christofer Mann Step-Up & SHINE Scholarship is awarded to one hairdresser each year with any level of experience, age or geographical location and the competition to select the 2016 candidate kicks off at Salon International in October 2015.
  • Anyone interested in applying (or wishing to nominate a colleague or friend) is asked to record a 1 minute video on a smart phone or recording device explaining why they love hairdressing and why they would be a great candidate to receive a Step-Up & SHINE scholarship. All videos will be added (securely) on to the NHBF YouTube channel for judging. Deadline date is 5th February 2016.
  • Once all the entries have been received – and after the deadline date – an internal selection committee will view all the video entries and choose the top 20 potential candidates. These top 20 entries will then be reviewed by the directors of World Hair and 6 finalists will be selected. Each of those finalists will be notified and given a slot during February or March 2016 during which a rep from the NHBF will visit their salon to observe them working and to conduct a short, informal but carefully standardised interview. From the results a winner will be chosen by a high profile judging panel made up of industry editors, our World Hair judges and the Project X mentor.
  • The winner of the Christofer Mann Step-Up & SHINE Scholarship for 2016 will then be announced at The Fellowship’s President Night in Spring 2016
  • The winner once again will be assigned industry legend Debbie G as a mentor to help them choose their scholarship courses from an approved list of the best available in the industry and to plan their bespoke educational year. A fund of £2,500 will be available for the year to include tuition fees, travel and overnight expenses and will be tailored to suit the winner and their chosen career path.

For more information on how to enter this year's Step Up and Shine click here.