Become A Hairdressing Student At BIBA Academy

Say Hello to Maquarie –
Maquarie is completing her final stages of her Certificate III in Hairdressing as a student with Biba Hair Academy in Melbourne, and you’ll find her working as a Hair Assistant/Junior Stylist at our Biba Carlton Hair Salon.

“At Biba, I love the fact that we graduate ‘salon-ready’, and it was my first choice, as a mature age student to train here. The Fitzroy (Melbourne) Biba Hairdressing Academy is in a great location, it has a fantastic reputation, and I was drawn to it even more because the Biba brand is more modern and cutting-edge than the other academies I looked into. However, as an RTO training facility, it still has an old-school mentality – in a good way!  We’re taught to hone our skills with timing and accuracy to ensure technical proficiency.

Biba has an amazing set-up. Once we’ve mastered the basics, we’re given the wonderful opportunity to train using real clients (and of course wigs at times). But the former is fabulous when it comes to understanding and working in a real salon environment. That’s experience that takes all of us into the employment world with a sense of empowerment. We experience the fun and personalisation of creating interpersonal relationships with our customers, and we’re afforded the chance to interact as a hairdresser, rather than as a student.Government funding is available to some Hair Academy Students, and I was pleased to have assistance from the Biba team in getting it sorted. They gave me all of the information I needed and I was soon

Government funding is available to some Hair Academy Students, and I was pleased to have assistance from the Biba team in getting it sorted. They gave me all of the information I needed and I was soon able to begin with my favourite skill area – the hair cutting module. The flexibility to choose that first was all the inspiration I needed to know I was in the right place.

I’m pretty proud of the fact that I was offered two apprenticeship jobs, at my choice of Biba Hair Salon (either Carlton or St Kilda), which means I’m a Biba through and through. It’s fast-paced at Carlton and the clients vary enormously, but that’s what I love about it – I never felt I’d fit into a mainstream suburban salon. At Biba Carlton, it’s full of professionalism, we push boundaries, and it’s exciting every day.

One thing I’ve found truly inspiring is the awesome hairdresser course crew. They demonstrate an amazing belief in us as their students. That belief they have in me makes me believe in myself more – and grow further in confidence. They’ll push me to expand on my technical skills, and be right there with a hands-on approach to motivate me to try new things without fear.

Previously I worked for a music record label, doing publicity, copywriting and music production. Much as I enjoyed it, I wanted a trade base with real physical skills attached. I had a latent love for hairdressing as a kid, but my tomboy streak made me feel I’d never find a place in the industry. How wrong I was!  As soon as I made up my mind to change career paths, I found myself with a job, training with the best hairdresser academy in Melbourne, and a whole bunch of new forward-thinking friends who love hair just as much as I do.Now I’m inspired and would love to be in charge of my own salon one day, and maybe blend that with some freelance editorial work that’s all about hair – and because of Biba, I reckon it’s entirely possible that that will come in the future.”

Now I’m inspired and would love to be in charge of my own salon one day, and maybe blend that with some freelance editorial work that’s all about hair – and because of Biba, I reckon it’s entirely possible that that will come in the future.”

Maquarie has won the 2016 Biba Full Time Student of the Year Next Level Award (2016), and will expand her horizons with the prize she received – an all-expenses paid trip to the Vidal Sassoon Academy, in London, in the very near future. At Biba Hair Academy in Melbourne, we’re delighted to call her one of our own, and we know that Maquarie will gain an International experience of a lifetime, and she’ll bring home some extraordinary hairdressing insights to help further her career with Biba. Congratulations, Maquarie.