Corey Sutherland believes that when your career is your passion, you never truly work a day in your life. Known for his tracks, carving designs and the latest fades, Corey is quickly becoming the one-stop-shop for the region’s hair fashionistas.

A proud Wiradjuri man, Mr Sutherland said “Since the age of ten, I’ve had a passion for barbering and taught myself by cutting the hair of family and friends. By the time I was 13, I had regular clients.

“I moved away from barbering after school, but still did it as a side job. Over the last few years, I noticed barbering was picking up again and had heard about a popular barbering course at TAFE NSW in Sydney that would fine-tune my hands-on skills.

“I decided it was now or never to learn from the best, so I studied a Certificate III in Barbering by flexible delivery, two-days per week, for 12 months at TAFE NSW Ultimo. I learnt many new skills, but the real highlights were working with scissors and fine-tuning my technical skills such as traditional cuts, designs and building relationships with clients.

“I’m now operating a chair out of AMH Hair Design in Dubbo and a barber shop at my house in Wellington.”

Not only is Corey known for his style cuts and fades, he is passionate about helping young people in the Wellington community through his role at Joblink Plus and Brothers 4 Recovery.

“I’m a youth mentor at Joblink Plus, which involves working with young vulnerable people to get them into work and study. I also like to encourage them to play basketball another passion of mine.

“I’ve traveled to Moree with Brothers 4 Recovery to tell my story and provide encouragement to Aboriginal communities effected by drugs and alcohol. I had a rough childhood, cutting hair and listening to music was the one thing that got me through.

“A haircut can mean a lot to somebody. There’s a real difference between shaving off hair to one length, to cutting a nice fade or with hair slicked back. It makes me feel good when I see how happy my clients are with their new hair cut.”

TAFE NSW Ultimo Barbering Teacher, Bruce Hathcock who also operates Legends The Barber Shop in Sydney and Los Angeles, was full of praise for Corey’s achievements.

“Being a barber provides a great career because not only is barbering fun, more importantly, barbers are in high demand. It is a re-emerging industry with lots of new barber shops with their own themes, specialty and grooming ranges opening all the time,” Mr Hathcock said.

"Corey was a very keen student who juggled travel and family commitments to complete his qualification in barbering at TAFE NSW."

To learn more about barbering or hairdressing courses available for enrolment in semester two at TAFE NSW, visit www.tafensw.edu.au or phone 131 601.

Media contact: Emma Curtis, TAFE NSW Media Officer, (02) 6338 2509, mobile 0427 901 515