Teresa Philpotts
Teresa left school at the age of thirteen with no qualifications, led an unsettled life for many years, had five children and worked in unskilled jobs to make ends meet. In 2007, she was a client in a hair salon and confided that she wanted to be a hairdresser but lacked the confidence to apply. Her hairdresser was also a lecturer at South Worcestershire College and encouraged her to apply to study. So Teresa began studying in 2008 and gained NVQ levels 1 and 2 in Hairdressing (completing five more modules than the assessment required), as well as level 2 Health and Safety in the Workplace, an ear-piercing qualification and level 1 in Literacy and Numeracy. She is currently completing level 3 in Hairdressing as well as level 2 in Literacy and Numeracy and hopes to learn Beauty Therapy on their completion.
Teresa feels she was given a new lease of life that day in the salon: “The future is looking bright and I can’t wait to improve the lives of others by making them feel better about themselves too using all my new skills.”