College hairdressing student Emalise strikes gold

Months of hard work paid off for 21-year-old Rotherham College student Emily, who battled through four stages and came out on top in the Worldskills final for Foundation Skills Hairdressing competition in Manchester.

Emalise, who uses a wheelchair after being diagnosed with Functional Neurologica Disorder (FND), said: “I really enjoyed the final competition in Manchester because every other competitor had a disability of some kind or an EHCP plan and it was like we were all in it together and so supportive of each other’s skills and talents.

“Everyone was just so kind and encouraging and everyone was a winner really so I was so shocked when my name was called and still to this day re-watch the video over and over again, not believing that I was awarded the gold.”

Katie Asgari, curriculum manager at Rotherham College – part of the RNN Group, which also includes University Centre Rotherham (UCR) – who worked with Emalise since February to help her practise her talents, said, “Emalise is a courageous and inspiring young lady who has worked so hard this year and fully deserves to win this gold award; we are all so proud of her.”

Worldskills competitions are known as the gold standard of skills excellence. They inspire young competitors to reach new heights, helping them turn their passion into a profession and to pursue excellence through competitions, as well as developing skills through global training standards, benchmarking systems, and enhancing industry engagement.