Twenty-year-old Stephanie Winter used to win competitions as a top young show jumper, now she's got one hurdle left to jump: to win the right to represent New Zealand in hairdressing.
The promising apprentice from Kohimarama is competing at WorldSkills Nationals in Christchurch this week hoping to win a place at next year's WorldSkills International competition in London.
WorldSkills 2011 is the equivalent of the Olympics for young people involved in trade and technical training programmes. New Zealand's best young performers, in everything from automotive trades to floristry, catering and hairdressing, pit their skills against the world's best as part of the 'Tool Blacks' team.
"I'll be giving the nationals all I've got," says Stephanie. "I so want to go to London next year."
WorldSkills New Zealand chief executive Peter Spencer says this week's competition will showcase the best of New Zealand's young talent.
"These young people have won regional competitions to get here, which means they are already highly skilled in their chosen fields. Having the opportunity to compete against the world's best in London will be a step up again but I think our candidates will be more than up to the challenge."
Mr Spencer says WorldSkills competitions and the lure of international competition gives young people an incentive to strive for excellence in the workplace and that lifts standards throughout industry.
"For some of these youngsters this may be the first chance they've had to excel in a competitive environment with national representation at stake."
For Stephanie Winter, who works at Auckland salon Bettjemans, it's more a case of switching from equestrian competition to competition in the salon.
From the time she picked up scissors and a blow drier four years ago, she has shone. She's a double winner of the Auckland Apprentice of the Year Award and is in the running for New Zealand Hairdressing Industry Training Organisation (HITO) Apprentice of the Year. She has also won the HITO Hairdresser in Training Photographic Competition and is a finalist in the New Zealand Association of Registered Hairdressers Supreme Awards, being held next month.
Stephanie says from the time she was very young she was keen to become a hairdresser.
"I remember going to the salon with Mum and being fascinated, and then later getting my own hair done, I just knew hairdressing was for me."
Stephanie confesses, she is a bit nervous being in Christchurch with the aftershocks going on but doesn't think it will put her off.
"Once I'm focussed on the competition I don't think anything will distract me. It's so awesome WorldSkills Nationals have been able to go ahead in Christchurch in spite of the earthquake."
All the skills in the world
WorldSkills Nationals are being held at the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology from 22-26 September 2010.
For more info, see: www.worldskills.org.nz
Stephanie's right hair right now
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