08/09/2026
By 2027, there could be zero apprentices coming through our industry. Zero.
Apprenticeship starts are down 70% in a decade — from 13,000+ a year to around 4,000. Still falling.
Someone took a chance on you once. Invested time, money, patience — before you'd earned them a penny. That's how this industry has always worked.
When we stop doing that, we're not closing the door on "some kid out there." We're closing it on our own kids, our nieces and nephews, the next generation of hairdressers, full stop.
This isn't just on salon owners. Clients — understand why training costs money. Brands — invest back into the industry that pays you, not just the marketing.
"As long as I'm okay" isn't a strategy. It's how you end up with no one left to cut hair in ten years.
Take the chance. Back the salons that train. Fund the training, not just the marketing.
This industry gave us a career. It's on us to keep it here for the next lot.