EVJ ASPIRE CIC is an innovative initiative by EVJ Training Academy, designed to provide tailored vocational training for young people in Tameside and Manchester, focusing on Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy. By moving away from the traditional classroom setting, we create an environment that breaks down barriers and engages young people effectively.
Our approach recognises that every young person has unique needs, talents, and aspirations. As a result, our programs are flexible, user-friendly, and inspiring, harnessing their energy, creativity, and raw potential. By nurturing these qualities, we pave the way for success in both education and employment.
While achieving qualifications and gaining practical experience are key elements of our mission, we go further by fostering confidence, a sense of social value, and inclusion. Through hands-on training, teamwork, and collaboration with the local community, we bridge the gap between youth and the wider Tameside community. Creativity plays a pivotal role, promoting well-being and encouraging young people to prioritize their mental, emotional, and physical self-care.
The EVJ ASPIRE team brings over 30 years of combined experience in vocational education and over 50 years in the salon industry. Our smaller, dedicated team provides regular career guidance sessions to help learners stay focused on their goals. With strong links to employers and business leaders in the salon and education sectors, we offer learners valuable insights into career opportunities in Hair and Beauty.
By fostering a supportive and comfortable learning environment, our learners are well-prepared to progress seamlessly into post-16 education with us, continuing their journey in hairdressing or beauty therapy. This continuity ensures that barriers in both pre-16 and post-16 education are effectively dismantled, creating confident, skilled, and employable young professionals who are highly sought after by industry employers.
Our outreach and alternative provision program, led by the EVJ Aspire CIC Team, is designed to support young people who are disengaged from their current educational settings, at risk of permanent exclusion, or who are NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) post-16. We create personalised timetables tailored to each young person’s strengths and needs, aiming to achieve positive outcomes in both education and life skills. Our team utilises creative teaching methods to address gaps in learning while also focusing on the social and emotional well-being of each individual. All team members have experience working with young people with special educational, behavioural, and emotional needs. We take a holistic approach, with dedicated mental health first aid support available on-site to ensure the well-being of every student.
“Inclusion isn’t bringing people into a space that already exists; it’s making a new space, a better space for everyone…”
Our centre is located in Stalybridge, Tameside, and includes our HQ reception, a breakout space, four 1-2-1 rooms, a make-up classroom, and three spacious classrooms. All of our large classrooms are designed to mimic a salon environment, while still providing space for studying theory and core subjects. We are an approved centre with VTCT, Focus Awards, Open Awards, as well as an AQA centre offering their Unit Award Scheme. We offer a range of vocational qualifications and bespoke programs, which can be combined with various qualifications and certificates, including functional skills, work skills and employment awards, money management, teamwork, and more.
