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Trainee hairdresser on course for success

January 19, 2014

Katherine Hodson_5An EIT Youth Scholarship is helping 17-year-old Katherine Hodson pursue her passion for hairdressing.

Katherine, who started her Certificate in Hairdressing studies in February, says her “foot in the door” was attending the Hawke’s Bay Schools Trades Academy last year.

“I was the first at my school to do Trades Academy,” the former Iona College student says. “I had a super interest in seeing if hairdressing really was what I wanted to do.”

Spending every Friday on campus, Katherine soon decided she was on the right track.

She enrolled for the two-year certificate programme and was awarded a fees-free EIT Youth Scholarship.

Four months ago, she started part-time work at a beauty salon in Havelock North and hopes that may lead to an apprenticeship when she gains her Level 3 certificate at the end of 2014.

“That would be really good, as it would mean just one more year to get fully qualified.”

From Hastings, Katherine loved her Trades Academy experience.

“I didn’t know it would be that good. It was so much fun and it really shows you whether what you are studying is what you
want to do.”

Established in 2010, the Government’s Youth Guarantee fees-free scheme was originally offered to 16 and 17-year-olds who wanted to enrol under the funding scheme. EIT established its own scholarships for selected single semester courses that could be completed within that
year of study.

Next year the EIT Youth Scholarship scheme is being extended to encompass applicants between 16 and 19 years old at the start date of their programme of study or 15 years old with an early leaving exemption. The scholarships apply to full-time programmes of study at Levels 1-3.