Kirklees College Hosts National Qualifiers of World Skills Competition

On Wednesday 11 June, Kirklees College was proud to host one of the national qualifier heats for the North Region of the World Skills UK Hairdressing competition. 12 students from Wales, Hull, South Shields, Bradford and Grimsby from eight colleges took part in the prestigious competition, using Kirklees College’s state-of-the-art facilities in its Sanctuary Salon at their Huddersfield Centre.

All competitors are current Level 2 or 3 Hairdressing learners, and the competition not only tests their talent and flair for hair, but also tests their understanding of the core competencies of the hairdressing profession. Many have spent months preparing for this event, but it all came down to their final performance on the day.

Competitors arrived early in the morning and were greeted by Kirklees College’s Hair and Beauty and Student Recruitment teams, who gave them a warm reception to the college. They were then given an introduction to the competition by Richard Howell from L’Oreal, who leads on the World Skills Hairdressing UK competition.

Competitors had two pressure tests to complete: a style and dress look, and a cut and colour challenge. These challenges were judged by four industry specialists and decided on a winner from the heat, although the finalists from each heat will not be announced until all the qualifiers are complete. The competition took several hours throughout the day, and the atmosphere in the salon was electric.

Tiffany Park, Programme Lead for Hairdressing and Barbering at Kirklees College commented:

“The whole day was amazing, and it was such a honour to host this prestige competition at Kirklees College. It was great to see such high standards produced from competitors, who are the future within our fantastic industry. Overall, it was a great day networking with other lecturers from different colleges, sharing good practice and inspiring one another.”

This was an exciting opportunity for all the students involved and also for Kirklees College as hosts. The college is proud to support the next generation of industry professionals through providing the facilities for them to showcase their talents and fine tune their professional practice.

There are three more qualifiers scheduled for the rest of June, and the national finals will take place in November 2025. Winners of each round of heats who will progress to the finals will be announced once the national qualifiers are complete, and they will then undergo training to help them develop in the run up to the Grand Final.