A group of young trainees has graduated from the Legends Barber Training and Development Academy following the completion of a three-month technical skills programme backed by Absa.

The graduation ceremony, on September 15, marked the end of months of hard work for trainees who learned skills ranging from basic cutting to running a professional barbershop.

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Legends Barber founder Sheldon Tatchell said the academy, sponsored by Absa, was close to his heart. He expressed gratitude for Absa’s investment in the country’s youth and its commitment to supporting developing talent.

He said the programme was built on a simple idea. “We all know the saying: give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, but teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,” Tatchell said.

“This is what the training centre does. It’s been able to invest in that person, and for them to have a ripple effect on so many more communities. This is the core essence of the Legends Training and Development Academy.”

Tatchell said watching the trainees grow had been rewarding, noting how incredible it was to see them progress from stepping into the training centre with no skills to graduating with discipline and determination.

He added that the graduates would now move into salons to begin their careers, calling them the heroes of tomorrow who would impact the next generation.

Nonhlanhla Magagula, from Absa Corporate Citizenship, said the academy combined technical training with lessons in running a business.

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“What we are also doing, as Absa, is overlaying the technical skills training with entrepreneurship training, because we believe it’s important that while people can go and get jobs, such as this initiative where they will be placed in salons, we are also asking: is there an opportunity for them to start businesses for themselves?”

Among the graduates was Musawenkosi Nyathi, who trained at the academy’s Pretoria CBD branch. He said the three-month journey had not been easy. “It was tough, I’m not going to lie. It was very, very tough, but I had a good team on my side,” Nyathi said. “I had some very good facilitators.”

Nyathi explained that he had picked up basic cutting skills at school but wanted formal, professional training to better himself and grow within an established organisation.

He advised anyone thinking of picking up a pair of clippers to join the academy, describing Legends as the top barbershop in South Africa and encouraging aspiring barbers to acquire a skill and give back to their community.

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