2024’s Best Hairdresser in Wales shares Benefits of Itec Partnership for Small Businesses

Nicholas James is a nationally renowned Celebrity Hairdresser and has recently appeared on BBC Radio 1 after winning The British Hairdresser of the Year for Wales & South West England.

Not only is he phenomenal at what he does but also in training the next generation of aspiring hairdressers by passing down his skills.Nick has been supporting two young Itec learners in his salon Nicholas James Hair in Tonypandy for the past year in achieving their L1 qualification with the Jobs Growth Wales+ programme.

Nicholas is now looking to explore the Employment Strand of JGW+ to continue their training and progression into full time employment.

Nick said Itec and the Jobs Growth Wales+ programme is fantastic, especially for small businesses. It is good for the employer that it is government funded, and it is good for the individual.

He said, “Learning hairdressing in college is very different to learning on a work placement. It is good for them to come in and have salon experience and know exactly how to deal with customers from the get-go. With the help from Itec in terms of the government funding is just a huge help for any small business.

“Small business should 100% go for it. At the end of it you get a trainee who is trained exactly how you want them to be, and they are the future of your business.”
Nick said he can see a future where Kaci and Lacie progress from the Jobs Growth Wales+ learners into an apprenticeship at the salon and then full-time employment.

Nick started his own training as a stylist in Tonypandy in two different local salons where he had the opportunity to travel to a celebrity salon up in Wolverhampton. When a new salon opened up in Shrewsbury, at the age of 20, Nick was offered a job and within a week moved to Shropshire. He said, “I am the kind of person who any opportunity that comes my way I will do it to gaining experience off my own back.”

Nick then met British TV personality Dawn Ward before her appearance on the Real Housewives of Cheshire and eventually became the stylist for several cast members of the show.

Nick said, “It was extraordinary and doing those types of things while learning from other stylists built up my profile and my expertise. From there, I started doing the hair of Gemma Collins.”

Nick then began to make plans to start his own brand. Having experienced different things and different levels of hairdressing, it was the perfect opportunity to come back to Tonypandy and deliver something special for the community and impart knowledge to aspiring hairdressers such as Kaci and Lacie.

He said, “Hair dressing has changed drastically, and people don’t want to be employed anymore, they want to own their own salon, so it is very difficult to find someone who wants to work and not work for themselves.” For Nick, this is where his partnership with Itec came in. As learners, Kaci and Lacie get to learn from an award-winning expert who is top of his field in the UK and see the opportunities to which a career in the hair industry can lead.

“I travel around the country a lot, particularly with my recent award and I don’t know where it’s going to take me, and I still like to take any opportunity that comes my way. It [JGW+ work placements] was the perfect way to mould individuals to where I want them to be. It is such an exciting industry, and it can take you different places, so any way I can give back is great.”