Two Newport beauty therapy apprentices are preparing for an all-expenses paid work and cultural experience in Finland.

Elise Allman, 19, from Enchanted Nails and Beauty, Newport, and Kirsty Bendon, 18, from Express Beauty @ Burlesque, Caerleon and Newport, fly out to Helsinki on March 4 and will spend three weeks working in a spa at College Merihaka while also learning about the Nordic country’s culture.

Mentoring and assessing them during their stay will be Cheryl Pearcey, partnership manager, and Rhian West, beauty apprenticeship practitioner, at ISA Training, Bridgend, the largest independent hair and beauty training provider in Wales.

Elise, who is working towards an apprenticeship in nail services, said she had been encouraged by her boss, Sharon Buckley, to apply for the 'amazing opportunity' of work experience in Finland.

She said: “I have only ever worked in one salon, so it will be good to see how other salons work in another country, to gain experience and to bring back techniques that I can use and share.

“I am also looking forward to working in the spa, seeing how their training differs, meeting people and experiencing a different culture.”

Elise began working for Sharon as a Saturday girl and jumped at the chance to start an apprenticeship with ISA Training. She plans to continue learning by seeking an assessor’s award and hopes to help Enchanted Nails and Beauty expand in the future.

Kirsty, from Raglan, who is working towards a foundation apprenticeship in nail services, can’t wait to experience working in another country.

She said: "I really enjoy travelling and I am excited by this opportunity to improve my skills.

“I am looking forward to learning about new treatments and different techniques and then bringing them back to use here in Wales. It’s also an opportunity to see if I would like to work abroad sometime in the future.”

Her first career ambition is to become a qualified nail technician but she would eventually like to own her own business.

ISA Training was part of a consortium led by Colleges Wales/ Colegau Cymru that organised the work and cultural experience visit with funding support from the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme for education, training, youth and sport.

The Erasmus+ programme offers exciting opportunities for UK participants to study, work, volunteer, teach and train abroad in Europe.

It’s the first time that ISA Training’s apprentices have visited Finland but the company has previously arranged work experience exchanges with Spain, Cyprus, Poland and Turkey as well as visit to New York.

The visits are part of ISA Training’s Oyster Project, which aims to enhance the learning experience of apprentices, increase their confidence and broaden their career horizons.