The Open Doors Centre earlier this month commenced stage two of its Beauty Care programme with three of its male students set to receive training in the field of barbering.
According to a Department of Public Information (DPI) release, the programme which is fully funded by the Ministry of Public Health, will be held at Kevin’s Reflections Beauty Salon and Barbering School. The students will undergo training in the fundamental techniques of barbering for ten weeks.
Kevin’s Reflections Beauty Salon and Barbering School is located in West Ruimveldt in Georgetown and is home to a beauty salon and barbershop as well as a cosmetology school and a barbering academy.
Open Doors Centre manager, Arthur Lewis, said that this initiative was implemented as an alternative to pursuing only technical skills such as Information Technology and other well-known programmes being offered at institutions. This programme enables differently-abled students to explore more opportunities to succeed therefore the idea of a barbering course as stage two of the Beauty Care programme was provided as an option for the students who had an interest in pursuing a career in the field.
Peter Fraser and Anthony Canterbury are two of the three students selected for the programme and are ready and anxious to experience training in barbering for the first time.
“It is pretty much an honour to learn barbering because not a lot of people get the opportunity to actually learn it. There are people who have a dream to become a barber [but don’t have this opportunity]. [It is good] to actually have a trade that could benefit [you] in the future. It is a great honour,” Fraser stated.
Both Fraser and Canterbury are students with mental disorders that result in them having the mental capacity similar to that of a ten-year-old. However, the students are under the leadership of a barber who has been in the profession for almost three decades, and who sees great potential in them as they pursue this skill.
That barber is none other than Kevin John, the owner of Kevin’s Reflections, an experienced teacher of barbering and a graduate of the US Trichology Institute located in New York. He believes that the students could easily acquire the skill. “I am very happy and intrigued to be part of changing anyone’s life. The method is already super simple as it may be. But of course, we intend to soften the method. But while the method is important, we still have to ensure that there is still a level of practice to perfect the art of barbering,” John was quoted as saying.
After completing the programme, the students will receive a certificate from Kevin’s Reflection to validate their qualification in barbering.
