phoenix barbering academy cic

Aim: To empower young people through barbering by providing training, mentorship, and career opportunities in a professional, supportive environm

Story: Phoenix Barbering Academy CIC – A Community Transformed

The Spark: A Personal Journey, A Community Need

My name is Nadeem Khan, and I am the founder and CEO of Phoenix Barbering Academy CIC. For over 20 years, I've dedicated my life to the art and craft of barbering, mastering techniques from intricate fade work and traditional wet shaves to modern male grooming. But my journey has always been about much more than just a haircut; it's been about seeing potential, building connections, and understanding the pulse of my community.

For 15 of those years, I operated Nactown Barbers, which was located directly opposite Murrayside Community Centre in Ipswich. This unique vantage point allowed me to witness firsthand the challenges faced by many young people in our area: the growing struggle with youth unemployment, social exclusion, and a stark lack of accessible vocational training. I saw talented individuals, often from disadvantaged, marginalised, or underrepresented communities – many of whom were deprived of traditional educational opportunities or reliant on benefits – struggling to find a pathway to a secure future.

Driven by a profound personal commitment, I began teaching and mentoring these young individuals myself, often investing my own resources to equip them with skills and guide them into the profession. I saw the incredible, transformative power that practical, hands-on training had on their lives – not just in terms of a job, but in building their confidence, self-esteem, and a sense of belonging. This unwavering dedication, rooted in decades of direct community engagement, is the very spark that ignited the vision for Phoenix Barbering Academy CIC.

My vision is clear: to be that vital bridge, transforming lives by providing accessible, high-quality barbering education that directly addresses these critical social issues. We're not just teaching a trade; we're building confidence, fostering dignity, and creating clear, sustainable pathways to meaningful employment.

Our Team: Experience, Empathy, and Community Connection

At Phoenix Barbering Academy CIC, our strength lies in a shared passion for both the barbering craft and profound social impact. As the founder, my 20 years of industry expertise and 15 years of direct, self-funded mentoring experience form the very core of our educational philosophy. I bring an understanding of what it truly takes to succeed in this industry and, crucially, how to connect with and empower individuals who may have been overlooked or underserved by traditional systems.

While we are a new organisation, our foundation is built on deep community trust and professional excellence. We are in the process of bringing on additional highly skilled and experienced barbering educators who share our commitment to accessible, hands-on training and our social mission. Our team will also include dedicated support staff focused on student welfare, career guidance, and forging crucial links with local barbershops and salons to ensure employment opportunities for our graduates. Our governance, underpinned by our Community Interest Company (CIC) structure, ensures that our social purpose remains at the heart of every decision we make, and that any surpluses are rigorously reinvested into our community mission.

Our Idea: Skills, Confidence, and Collective Growth

Phoenix Barbering Academy CIC is established as a dedicated training facility that will offer comprehensive, hands-on barbering courses. Our curriculum is designed to equip students with industry-recognised qualifications and practical, in-demand skills from day one. We blend classic techniques with modern trends, including mastering both skin fades (from zero upwards for that clean, seamless blend) and taper fades (for a subtle, refined transition), ensuring our graduates are highly employable in today's dynamic market.

Crucially, we are privileged to be operating directly from Murrayside Community Centre, a vital local hub in Ipswich. This location is not accidental; it's a direct continuation of my two-decade presence serving the community from Nactown Barbers, which was immediately opposite. This long-standing connection and the Centre's active support not only provide us with a dedicated, accessible space to deliver our training but also solidify our ties directly to the heart of the community we serve. This partnership dramatically enhances our ability to reach those who need us most and creates a supportive, familiar environment for our students.

Beyond technical training, we provide:

• Tailored Mentorship: Building on my personal experience, every student will receive dedicated support, coaching, and a truly personal investment in their success.

• Employability Skills: Practical focus on customer service, professional conduct, communication, and basic business acumen.

• Real-World Experience: Invaluable practical application within our fully functional training barbershop, operating under strict supervision to ensure quality.

• Holistic Support through Partnerships: Recognizing the multiple barriers our target beneficiaries often face, we are actively collaborating with local support organisations, social services, and youth referral agencies. These crucial partnerships enable us to provide or signpost our students to essential wrap-around support, including advice on benefits, housing, mental health, and further education, ensuring a truly holistic approach to their development and long-term success.

We believe that by investing in vocational skills, particularly for those who need it most, we are making a profound investment in individuals, their families, and the broader economic vitality and social cohesion of Ipswich.

Our Vision for the Future: A Beacon of Opportunity

My vision for Phoenix Barbering Academy CIC is to become the leading beacon of accessible vocational training and social mobility in Ipswich and the surrounding areas. I see an academy that consistently transforms the lives of those often left behind, equipping them with the skills, confidence, and network to build successful, dignified careers in the barbering industry.

We aim to:

• Significantly Increase Employment Rates: Boost the number of young people and disadvantaged individuals, especially those previously deprived of education or reliant on benefits, entering sustainable, meaningful employment.

• Bridge Local Skills Gaps: Consistently meet the local demand for highly skilled barbers, contributing directly to the regional economy.

• Cultivate Inclusivity: Be a diverse, welcoming, and safe learning hub where everyone, regardless of their background, feels they belong, are valued, and can truly thrive.

• Expand Our Reach & Impact: Grow our capacity to serve more students, diversify our course offerings in response to evolving community needs and industry trends, and strengthen our collaborative ecosystem with supportive partner organisations.

• Foster Local Entrepreneurship: Empower graduates with the knowledge and confidence to consider starting their own barbering businesses, further enriching the local economy.

Ultimately, we envision a community where talent is never wasted, where every individual has the opportunity to rise, and where skills lead directly to brighter futures.

How We'll Use the Money We Raise: Strategic Investment for Social Impact

The funding we secure is absolutely crucial for bringing Phoenix Barbering Academy CIC to life and achieving our ambitious vision. The money we raise will be strategically invested to:

Establish Our Training Facility: While Murrayside Community Centre provides our vital community base, initial funding will cover essential fit-out costs for high-quality barbering stations, professional tools, equipment, and dedicated learning resources needed to deliver top-tier vocational training within that space. This initial investment will create an optimal, inspiring learning environment.

Curriculum Development & Accreditation: Ensuring our comprehensive courses are fully accredited and meet rigorous industry standards, allowing our students to gain nationally recognised qualifications that are highly valued by employers.

Core Staffing & Trainer Remuneration: Covering initial salaries for our dedicated barbering educators, including myself as the lead trainer and CEO, and essential administrative support staff. It is vital to pay our expert trainers a fair and sustainable remuneration for the significant expertise, time, and dedication they invest in delivering high-quality training and achieving our social mission. This ensures we can attract and retain the best talent to serve our students effectively, contributing directly to the quality and sustainability of our educational programs.

Student Support & Bursaries: Providing critical financial aid, equipment bursaries, or travel support for disadvantaged students, particularly those coming from backgrounds of educational deprivation or benefit reliance, who would otherwise face insurmountable barriers to accessing our life-changing training. This directly impacts our core target beneficiaries.

Marketing & Outreach: Strategically reaching those who need us most within the community. This includes developing targeted outreach programs, strengthening our local presence and partnership with Murrayside Community Centre, and formalizing referral pathways with our extensive network of supportive partner organisations to ensure we engage and attract the young people and individuals from underrepresented groups we aim to serve.

Operational Costs & Sustainability Building: Covering essential initial overheads like insurance, utilities, essential learning materials, and minor contingencies as we build towards self-sufficiency. Our aim is to develop a robust and diversified income model – including future potential course fees (for those able to pay or via advanced learner loans), income from our training barbershop, and ongoing grant applications – which will allow us to reinvest any surpluses directly back into the academy to expand our reach, enhance our offerings, and continue our profound social mission long-term.

Every pound raised will directly contribute to empowering individuals, revitalising our community, and creating a brighter future, one skilled barber, one confident young person, and one transformed life at a time. Our unwavering commitment is to ensure that all financial resources serve our social purpose, enabling us to deliver maximum, measurable benefit to our target communities in Ipswich and beyond.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 1st September 2025 at 12:00pm