WIRRAL based Andrew Collinge Hairdressing has become the first Merseyside based company to be honoured with the Princess Royal Training Award.

Creative director Andrew Collinge received the award from HRH Princess Anne at an awards ceremony at St James' Palace on Wednesday, October 31.

The prestigious award honours UK employers for their training programmes.

Beginning in the mid 1980s by Hazel and Peter Collinge, they believed that training should be at the heart of the business and now all newly qualified Andrew Collinge apprentices go on to the Graduates salon.

These salons give newly qualified stylists the chance to hone their skills and be given the responsibility to help run salons on their own.

Across the North West there are six Andrew Collinge salons and two Andrew Collinge Graduate salons with 83% of all stylists coming through the graduate programme.

In 2012 Peter Collinge received an OBE from the Princess Royal for services to hairdressing.

 

Peter Collinge receiving his OBE in 2012

Managing director Charlie Collinge said: “We are particularly proud not only to be the first hairdressing company to receive a Princess Royal Training Award but also the first Merseyside-based company to be awarded.

"I am very pleased for our Graduates Salon teams, and the Graduate Apprentices themselves, to be recognised.

"They are hard working and talented teams."

The Princess Royal Training Awards are delivered by the City & Guilds Group and each of the applications were assessed against three Hallmarks of Excellence by the Princess Royal Training Awards Commission, which comprised of Princess Anne and seven leading figures in the business and training community.

Chief executive of the City & Guilds Group Chris Jones told the Globe: "In an ever changing world, it continues to be critical for Britain’s businesses to invest in training to boost their productivity, address skills gaps and further develop their teams.

"We are delighted that Andrew Collinge is among a diverse group of organisations achieving the Princess Royal Training Award standard in 2018.

"I congratulate them, and all of the organisations who presented examples of the innovative, inspiring and impactful training.

"They are truly worthy recipients of this rigorously assessed royal award and it is fitting that their achievements have been rewarded."