Mental Health Awareness Week 2022
Theme: Loneliness

This years mental health awareness week theme is loneliness. From the 9th – 15th of May the Mental Health foundation charity are trying to raise awareness of the impact of loneliness and what support is out there for people who are needing it. Due to covid-19 more people have suffered with loneliness which has damaged their mental health.

There is many support lines available to the public which include:
– Call Samaritans on 116 123 (24/7)
– Call Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87
– Message SHOUT to 85258 (24/7)
– Childline is available to under 18’s on 0800 1111

Mental Health check ins are always used in our reviews, and centre support is always available through our safeguarding procedure. Contact Charlie or Helen on 07507730536/charlie.exceed@outlook.com for safeguarding support.

This weeks (25.04) News and Views has been about focusing on career aspirations and taking inspiration from the famous Martin Luther King Jr speech ‘I Have a Dream’.

Apprentice’s were asked to write down their career and personal dreams for where they want to be in the future. Writing your hopes and dreams down can have a bigger impact on the way you try and achieve them, we want all of our apprentice’s to aim high and exceed their dreams.

Dream clouds were added to our career aspirations board, located on our second floor, hopefully this will inspire and push apprentices to aim high and achieve their full potential.

This weeks (11.04) News and Views sessions have been about stress awareness month and how our apprentices can deal with stress. As it is coming up to EPA assessments some apprentices may be feeling anxious and struggling to cope with the stress of off the jobs, assessments and work. We have provided apprentices with stress releasing activities and discussed what ‘stress’ actually means.

The definition of stress is ‘the state of mental or emotional strain which is resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances’ our apprentices can vary with different types of stress relating to work, college or in everyday life.

Each apprentice were given access to the Stress Awareness Month 2022 booklet which was provided by the Stress Management Society. There was also a link to the national stress awareness month website which talks about the different strategies and coping methods which can help apprentices release stress, the link is below.

https://www.stress.org.uk/national-stress-awareness-month/

Safeguarding Information –
Charlie Bowers or Helen Rutherford
07507730536
charlie.exceed@outlook.com
helen@hairdressingapprenticeships.com

In this weeks (04.04) News and Views sessions we looked at the trending news headlines regarding the Oscars incident with Chris Rock and Will Smith. Apprentices discussed the incident which took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Apprentices shared their views and opinions on the headline and everyone held a different opinion on each side of the argument. Tutors discussed respect and what the word actually means, ‘Respect is a positive feeling or action towards someone or something that you consider important or hold high value of.’

We discussed our British Values and what they mean to us and how we are protected by the five different values; democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and the tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. The apprentices related British values with the incident and discussed how things may have happened differently if the incident took place in the UK.

Three questions we used to start discussions on were:
What could’ve been done differently by all involved?
What would have been differently if the incident happened in the UK?
What protects individuals from incidents like these in the UK?

This weeks (28/03) News and Views session is all about our apprentices understanding what ‘credit’ is and why its important for them to understand what it is, to facilitate them transitioning into young adults.

Three questions we focused on:
Do you know what ‘Credit’ is?
Do you know how your credit score can help you?
What is something you can do to help gain a positive score?

Credit is the ability of how someone can obtain goods or services before the payment, based on trust that the payment will be paid back in the future. Apprentices were informed and discussed what credit means and how that links with their credit score. We spoke about how saving and managing your money is important once being paid, a key theme we discussed is how sensible you need to be with your money, as decisions you make now can impact and be recorded in the future.

How can your credit score help you? Our apprentices understood that having a positive credit score will help them when renting, applying for a mortgage or car finance in the future. Most answered the common suggestions about how they can improve their score, like applying for a credit card or opening up a phone contract in their name. Our apprentices learnt about how registering on the electoral roll would go on their profile and help them.

We showed apprentices the app, Clearscore and how it informs you of what your credit score is, the app also gives them tips of changes they can make to help boost their score.

Some asked “Does Klarna and Clearpay help your credit score?” Klarna and clearpay encourages more people to borrow than they can afford. Klarna and clearpay isn’t recorded on your credit score so getting a credit card would help them more, if you are sensible and can pay back your spending on time. More people from the ages of 18-24 get into dept due to spending using Klarna and clearpay.

Allowing our apprentices to research into the world of credit have helped them understand how important their credit file is and help them plan their credit steps, for future plans.

This weeks (21.03) News and Views session is the discussion of the recent headline ‘Child Q’. In the news it has been reported that a 15 year old, female was strip searched at a school in Hackney under the idea she was in possession of cannabis. A safeguarding report had claimed that the 15 year old was strip searched while on her period with two female police officers present in the room.

What is safeguarding? Safeguarding is the action that is used to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm. As a centre we have the responsibility to protect our apprentices from harm and maltreatment, this is why we have safeguarding procedures in place to make sure all apprentices feel safe at the centre.

This incident has been discussed in news and views sessions to allow our apprentices to understand what has happened, ask any questions regarding the headline and make sure our apprentices know what safeguarding is. As there has been reports of protests in school and outside the MET police we wanted to listen to any worries or concerns our apprentices may have. Our safeguarding procedure was also reissued to apprentices.

Three questions asked this week were:
How do you feel about the headline?
Do you understand what safeguarding is?
What should have been done differently?

Safeguarding Lead – Helen Rutherford, Helen@hairdressingapprenticeships.com, 07507 730536.

This week’s (14.03) News and Views session is all about understanding your payslip and what national insurance is. During reviews, apprentices have confirmed they are receiving their payslips monthly or weekly. However, we have noticed some apprentices questioning their tax, not understanding why some are paying national insurance or finding it difficult working out their hourly pay or commission.

Three questions apprentices have been asked in this weeks sessions:
Do you receive your payslip monthly or weekly and how (paper or email)?
Have you got any concerns regarding your payslips (on the wrong tax code)?
Do you know what national insurance is?

All apprentices have been given access to a useful website which breaks down each section on a payslip and what it means. Apprentices have had the opportunity to ask questions as a group or individually. The website helps apprentices understand what should be on their payslip and why. https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk-
/en/work/employment/understanding-your-payslip

Understanding National Insurance, what is it? National Insurance is compulsory payments by employees and employers to provide assistance for people who are sick, unemployed, or retired. You will pay national insurance if you are 16 and are either employed earning over £184 a week or self employed and making a profit of £6,515 a year. https://www.gov.uk/national-insurance

If you have any questions or queries regarding your payslip please contact Charlie Bowers who can help you, charlie.exceed@outlook.com 07507730536.

It’s International Women’s Day, celebrating our strong, confident and hardworking Exceed Training Company Team. Here is a reminder of what everyone does:

Helen Rutherford – Principal, Safeguarding Lead
Claire Close – Assistant Principal
Charlie Bowers – Business and Recruitment Officer
Vicki Taylor Burdin – Level 3 Educator
Amanda Scott – Level 2 Educator
Charlotte Wood – Trainee Educator
Tracey Scott Milner – Operational Consultant

This weeks news and views session (07.03) is all about inflation rates in the UK and how it impacts you. What is inflation? Inflation is a term used to describe the increase of prices in the UK over time, how quickly prices go up is called the rate of inflation.

How does it impact you? When the inflation rate increases, everyday prices will increase as well. At the moment the UK’s inflation rate is at 5.5%, for example: if something costs £10 and it goes up by 5.5%, then it would cost £10.55p, which is an increase of 55p. Everyday items will increase in price, have you noticed any everyday price changes?

As the cost of living has increased, there will be an increase to the national apprenticeship wage in April, it will rise from £4.30 to £4.81 which is a difference of 51p.

https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-
knowledgebank/what-is-inflation.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/minimum-wage-rates-for-2022

Due to current news and recent headlines regarding what is happening in the world right now, its okay to feel worried, scared or confused. Staff at the academy are available to speak to and extra information is provided to help you understand what is going on.

All apprentices will have a news and views session regarding the recent headlines and will have the chance to speak to a member of staff about how they are feeling. These sessions will be recorded on the VLE in their off the jobs for them to refer back to, updates of the situation will also be updated in news and views.

You’re not alone and your feelings are valid. We are available to contact and safeguarding leads are free to contact.

Safeguarding Lead – Helen Rutherford, 07507730536, helen@hairdressingapprenticeships.com.

Image by @theleoparduk on Instagram.