Three young Bermudians are pioneering a new kind of apprenticeship programme on the Island in the field of beauty and spa treatment.

The trio are training to become qualified at the highest level in the field and are creating a unique programme for Bermuda as they do so.

Shakira Jones and Raquel Furbert are training to become salon technician stylists, while Lauren Purvey is an apprentice body technician.

All three have been given the opportunity to do so at the prestigious Willow Stream Spa at the Fairmont Southampton.

It is the first time the hotel group’s spa has undertaken such a programme in Bermuda, and it is also thought to be unique with the nine Willow Stream Spas that currently exist around the world.

For the Fairmont Southampton it is the latest move to encourage young Bermudians to train and work for the company and to enter the tourism and hospitality sector.

Because of the cost of treatments and the classy reputation of the Willow Stream Spas, clients naturally expect to encounter high standards and professionalism. How to place apprentices into that environment was the challenge faced by the hotel.

But so far, it appears to have been overcome through a combination of careful selection of apprentices to ensure they have the right attitude, commitment and educational standards, and allowing the apprentices to further study their career and to “shadow” trained professionals as they learn on the job.

“We had enquires from young Bermudians asking how they could get to work in the spa. Many of them did not have the experience that we would require of someone who was working at our spa,” said Nelda Simons, regional director of human resources at Fairmont Bermuda.

The hotel has plenty of apprenticeship opportunities across a wide range of careers, from the culinary disciplines to working on the hotel’s vast infrastructure and maintenance requirements. But the spa presented an altogether different problem because of the close contact with clients who expected the very best service.

Ms Simons told The Royal Gazette: “We wondered how we could make it work in a spa where there are people paying $500 for high-end treatments. You can’t put a student in there to do that.”

The solution was to have the apprentices shadow the professionals and to put them in less critical roles as they learned on the job and completed their training and studying courses.

Spa director Paul Hawco gave Shakira as an example, explaining how she had graduated from CedarBridge Academy and come to the spa where she has been gaining experience at the front desk reception and working in areas where she comes into contact with guests.

This, he said, would give her valuable insight before she heads off to complete her training and studies overseas.

“When she goes to school she will be more than head and shoulders above those in her class in terms of experience. She will be ahead of the pack,” he said.

During summer breaks from their two-year training courses the apprentices can work at the spa gaining the required experience needed to eventually fulfill the requirements of a fulltime position with Willow Stream Spas.

Ms Simons said there had been great feedback from guests who have come into contact with the apprentices. The programme allows the hotel to fulfill its commitment to hiring Bermudians where possible within its 900-strong workforce.

The spa apprentices are given intensive full-time training over six months once they have earned their degree at an accredited college or school.

Further spa apprentices are likely. Mr. Hawco said: “We want to make sure we have our feet on the ground with this, hopefully to retain the apprentices and continue forward. These three are our first pioneers.”

There is potential for the apprentices to go on to work around the world at other Willow Stream Spa locations, especially as the number of spas is due to double or triple in the coming years, including spas in Egypt and Palm Island in Dubai.