Ex-Fourways High pupil shows off his skills
FOURWAYS- Former Fourways High School pupil Damian Valjeaux (20) is set to compete at the World Skills South Africa. The competition will be held in Cape town at the end of January.
World Skills is an international competition. After the national round, competition winners get to exhibit their skills to an international audience in Sao Paulo in Brazil. Valjeaux said it was his first time entering the competition and did not expect to win during regionals.
The competition is set to take place in Cape Town over a three-day period from 28 January to 1 February. It is a platform for artisans to showcase their skills as they pursue their career paths. Valjeaux has been involved in hairdressing since he left Fourways High School in 2010.
He was the recipient of two awards last year during the regional leg of the World Skills competition held at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand. Valjeaux won in both the Funky Street Style and Fashion Cut categories. He has qualified to move on to the nationals in Cape Town where he is set to compete against his peers from all over the country.
Valjeaux said he has been cutting and styling hair from the age of 16. He said, in preparation for the nationals in Cape Town, he has been practicing daily under mentor Dennis Randell. “On some days, I practise from 9am to 6pm,” he said.
Valjeaux is involved in the family business, Jeauval Hair Salon, at Nicolway Shopping Centre in Bryanston. He said exposure and recognition of winning a competition of this scale will get him noticed and will open doors for him in the industry.
