From a young age Emily Kempton showed an interest in becoming a hairdresser. “Whether it was braiding and curling friend’s hair, or getting out a mannequin to practice on, I had always wanted to give it a go,” she says.
Born and raised in Invercargill, Emily made the decision to train in hairdressing during Year 13 at James Hargest College. She’d found out about the hairdressing course through James Hargest as they offered the Murihiku Trades Academy (now Murihiku Tertiary Academy) which Emily participated in. Students had two weeks of hairdressing and two weeks of beauty therapy. “This course opened up a whole lot of opportunities for me and that's how I found out about the full-time hair course.”
Emily achieved the New Zealand Certificate in Hairdressing (Salon Support) and the New Zealand Certificate in Hairdressing (Emerging Stylist) through SIT.
Heading into her SIT programmes without any expectations, Emily describes the experience as “amazing... the staff and tutors were so helpful!”
“I learnt a range of things, from basic hair cutting and colouring skills, to simple hair-ups. We learnt a lot of people skills and I learned to communicate well with people around me.”
Emily thinks a lot of what SIT offered was done really well, with so much hands-on and one-on-one time with the tutors. “[It] really made the experience worthwhile! The most valuable thing I learnt from my time at SIT is patience, learning that ‘practice really does make perfect’ and we can't expect to know how to do something straight away on the first go.”
Course highlights were “definitely” tutors and classmates! “They're some of the most down-to-earth and supportive people I have ever met,” she adds.
The on-campus activities for students were another highlight of Emily’s time at SIT. “There was always something fun and new to try most weeks and to get me out of just sticking to my class; it helped me to meet and interact with other students around the campus.”
Some of the challenges Emily experienced while studying were navigating the changes between school and being on a full-time course. “Trying to find the right balance of study and practical work was hard but making sure to prioritise what's more necessary is the key,” she explains. All of the hard work did pay off for Emily and she was awarded top student at the completion of the Emerging Stylist programme.
Emily’s always had a strong work ethic. In high school, she worked in a part-time job at a Fish ‘n’ Chip shop “just to earn a bit of money”. Her current role is as a Year 3 Hairdressing Apprentice with a local salon. “SIT helped me gain this role after my first year. A part of the course was work experience in the salon which gave me a foot in the door.” Emily experienced a taste of what salon life was like and it opened up the opportunity of being able to do her apprenticeship in the same salon.
One of Emily’s definite career goals is to own a salon one day. “I can see myself traveling with this qualification and seeing new places while doing what I enjoy.”
“Studying at SIT has changed the way I think and am. It's helped me become better with my communication skills and helped me to see that there is always a fun way to learn and experience things!”