We’re celebrating our brilliant Concept Hair Learner of the Year 2025 finalists!
Concept Hair is a national magazine for Hair and Barbering students and apprentices. Their annual Learner of the Year competition offers up-and-coming hair stylists and barbers from across the UK the chance to gain recognition for their skills.
From the 2,800 total entries, three of our learners reached the final stages: learner Poppy was named as a Level 2 Hair Up finalist, while learners Evan and Ayaan were Level 2 and 3 Barbering finalists respectively.
They travelled to Telford College, Shropshire in March to compete in the national finals.
To reach this stage, Poppy, Evan and Ayaan each impressed a panel of professional judges with evidence of their skills.
Their challenge for the finals was to recreate themed styles against five other finalists. For Poppy, this was ‘About the ‘Ton’, while Evan and Ayaan’s theme was ‘Smart Maverick’. Alongside creating their looks, each learner provided a mood board showing their inspiration.
Poppy’s highlight of the experience was “being able to showcase my vision and practical skills. I was pleased with my final result and proved to myself that I can work under pressure.”
Evan said “it was good to see what other colleges are producing. I feel more confident for next year’s competition, and this has given me a taste of the opportunities available on my barbering journey.”
Ayaan said: “This competition has motivated me to show everyone my practical cutting and styling skills. It has inspired me to build on this experience in preparation for my next competition in May.”
The College is incredibly proud of Poppy, Evan and Ayaan’s success.
Wendy Fletcher, Programme Leader for Retail & Commercial said: “What a great achievement for these three learners! They represented the College as mature professionals, and reaching the Concept Hair Learner of the Year finals is a true testimony of their hard work, practice and determination.”
Find out more
