Published: Thursday 27 August 2020
Want to take the first steps towards a creative career as a barber without leaving your living room? Sign up for a free course with the scissor supremos from North Kensington’s Mo Better Cutz.
Run as part of Kensington and Chelsea Council’s Community Leadership Programme, the Mo Better Academy is for any resident of the borough aged 18 and over and is being run entirely online for four weeks from Monday 7 September.
Participants will learn the basics of barbering via virtual Q&A sessions. For those who are comfortable with the clippers, Mo Better Cutz is offering a second course at its shop to provide practical experience and allow students to work towards certification.
The course has been created by Mo Better Cutz co-founder Rodney McGillivary, who was inspired into barbering by his father and began his own journey into the profession at the age of 17 by cutting his friends’ hair.
He said:
“There are two courses – the first is online and is all question-and-answer-based theory which you can complete at your own pace. It will give you a good insight into barbering and let you know whether it’s something that interests you and that you want to take further.
“The second course is certificated and is in the shop for two days a week. You can work towards levels one, two and three and if you finish the course, you can stay on with us and take a seat or go on and get a job in the industry.”
As a mainstay of the North Kensington community, Mo Better Cutz has a loyal local customer base and even offers a chance to meet some as well as attracting celebrity clients including Idris Elba, Pharrell Williams and actor and director Noel Clarke.
Rodney has encouraged people from all backgrounds to consider giving the Community Leadership Programme course a go, highlighting the great team spirit and atmosphere in a barber shop.
He said:
“The working environment is one of the things that people like the most. It’s very laid back and you work for yourself, but although it’s an individual thing to cut someone’s hair, we work together as a team.
“A lot of people find barbering very satisfying because it lets you develop your artistic side. To anyone that is interested in the course, I say give it a bash – it’s a fun, creative thing to do and it can bring something out of you that you didn’t even know that you have.”
Sign up for the Mo Better Academy or find out more about the other free courses on offer through the Community Leadership Programme.