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Scottish students to run hair and beauty salon for Commonwealth Games athletes

The world’s top athletes will be blow-dried, pampered and polished by Scottish students at this year’s Commonwealth Games.

The Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village Salon will be operated by West College Scotland. This means life-changing opportunities for students, some from deprived backgrounds and areas. They will be providing hair-styling, make-up and male grooming services to sporting heroes.

Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport, Shona Robison will announce the link-up during a visit to see how the students are preparing for the Games today. During the visit, the Minister received a Games inspired manicure and met athletes and students who may be mixing with each other at the salon this summer.

The Minister said: “There can be no better way to start your career than working with some of the biggest names in sport. I’m sure the summer of 2014 is one these students will never forget. These West College Scotland students have a unique opportunity and I’m sure they will come away with skills and stories to last a lifetime.

“This is a great achievement for the college, showing what colleges of greater scale, reach and influence can achieve. The students will be showcasing to the world not only their own talents, but the talent of our colleges in give people the skills to get a job, get a better job and develop their career.”

The salon at London 2012 Olympics was very popular. Athletes took to social networks and the media to show off their custom nail designs and new hair styles.

The College has selected 70 of its most promising students to ensure athletes can look their best for the world’s cameras. The students will be working for donations to official Glasgow 2014 charities under the supervision of teaching staff and volunteers from Scotland’s top professional salons.

The opportunity for West College Scotland will leave a lasting skills legacy from the Games. The students will be using their experiences to gain employment or further study. This is another example of how the Games is leaving a skills legacy for young people across Scotland.

West College Scotland is the latest Scottish organisation to win a Commonwealth Games contract. Of the 594 contracts procured to date, 433 have been won by Scottish firms. It is an example of a Scottish college creating and adding value to the Scottish economy.

David Grevemberg, Glasgow 2014 Chief Executive, said:

“This is a tremendously exciting opportunity for the students from West College Scotland who will be right at the heart of the Games as they operate this very popular service within the Athletes’ Village. We are sure the athletes and team officials will enjoy making full use of this facility and appreciate the skill and obvious enthusiasm of the students. And beyond the Games, of course, the students will benefit greatly from the whole experience as their careers begin to take shape.”

Audrey Cumberford, the Principal of West College Scotland, said:

“West College Scotland is immensely proud of this achievement and delighted for our students and staff. So much hard work has gone into preparing the bid, preparing the salon and, of course, preparing the students.

“Across the hair and beauty sector the quality of our teaching and of our graduates is widely recognised. Now we have the chance to showcase our students at a global event.

“I am thrilled for the staff and students but also for West College Scotland as a whole. We were created only seven months ago and to win this contract sends a message about our ambitions and where we want West College Scotland to be.”

26-year-old Carole McNess, a hairdressing student from Paisley, has been selected to work at the Village. The mother-of-two even cancelled a family holiday to Cyprus to take part.

She said: “Not in a million years did I think I would ever get a chance like this. To be right at the heart of the Games, perhaps working with some of the most famous athletes in the world is amazing.

“We have a lot of work to do and the College will soon be putting us through ‘Boot Camp’ training, so the weeks and months ahead are going to be hectic. But they are also going to be fun.

“The main thing is that all of us have been given a fantastic opportunity to learn and develop life-long skills in a completely unique environment.”

Background

Glasgow 2014 requires a salon to meet the hair, beauty and grooming needs of 6,500 athletes and team officials resident within the Commonwealth Games Village . Work will now begin on fitting out the salon in the heart of the Village, offering everything from manicures, massage, henna body art, hair-styling and gents’ barbering services.

West College Scotland was created in August 2013 through the merger of Clydebank and Reid Kerr colleges and the Inverclyde campus of James Watt College.

Legacy 2014

Through the five million Legacy 2014 Young Persons’ fund, businesses are being encouraged to recruit 1500 Modern Apprentices through the Employer Recruitment Incentive. A further 1000 young people are benefitting through Scotland’s Best, a volunteering and training programme for young people.

www.legacy2014.co.uk