NHBF backs Not 'Just' A Hairdresser campaign

The UK's largest trade body for the hair & beauty sector is delighted to announce that it is supporting a landmark ad campaign designed to change people's perceptions of a career in hairdressing.

Since the launch of its ‘skills crisis’ report, the National Hair & Beauty Federation (NHBF) has been calling on the entire hair & beauty industry to pull together to tackle the 'perfect storm' of issues that have come together to create a skill and recruitment crisis in the industry. Its report, Careers at the cutting edge: tackling the skills shortage in the hair and beauty sector, published earlier this year, found that 57% of hair & beauty businesses have unfilled vacancies, and more than half of vacancies have taken businesses over 16 weeks to fill. The report worryingly identified that if current trends continue, fewer than 3,400 hair & beauty apprentices will be in the UK by 2025.

In supporting the Not 'Just' A Hairdresser campaign, Caroline Larissey, Director of Quality and Standards, said: “This is exactly the type of initiative our industry needs, and we encourage all our Members to register on the database if they are looking for apprentices. We are excited that the forthcoming ad campaign will show the huge variety of opportunities hairdressing can offer and showcase this excellent industry as an attractive career choice and respected profession.”

The campaign, Not 'Just' A Hairdresser, is created by Creative HEAD and The Hairdressing Industry CIC. The campaign stars 12 real-life hair professionals working in a range of different environments, showcasing the skill, diversity, entrepreneurialism and innovation in hairdressing. Landing key messages around success, variety and fulfilment, the campaign directly challenges commonly held misconceptions that hairdressing is something you only do when all other options fail.

The campaign is calling on salons to place their business on the Not 'Just' a Hairdresser database of salons looking for apprentices. The database will be published on the-industry.co.uk and can be easily searched by people interested in becoming a hairdresser.

Not 'Just' A Hairdresser launches on TV channel E4 on October 3, during the first episode of The Big Blow Out, the new Bake Off-style hairdressing competition hosted by AJ Odudu and judges Sam McKnight and Lisa Farrall.