Hair Professional

On a hair professional apprenticeship course, you’ll help provide hair cutting, styling and grooming services for men and women. The hair professional apprenticeship includes both the hairdresser and barber professions.

As an apprentice hairdresser, you’ll learn how to wash and condition hair, cut hair using various techniques, style and finish hair in multiple fashions, and colour and lighten hair for both men and women.

As an apprentice barber, you’ll learn how to wash and condition hair, use barbering techniques to trim, style and finish hair, shape facial hair, and provide men’s shaving services. Hairdressers and barbers must be able to work with a wide range of hair types, from straight to curly and wiry.

You must also be able to consult with clients and demonstrate the professionalism, values, behaviours, communication skills, and safe working practices associated with your job and function accurately without supervision.

What you’ll learn

On a hair professional apprenticeship course, you’ll learn to:

• Show professionalism and a passion for the company; committed to quality, a positive attitude, and collaboration; work well under pressure; practise time management and self-management, and demonstrate a willingness to learn.
• Pleasantly greet clients; choose the most suitable form of contact with customers; be helpful and polite at all times; adjust behaviour to each client; react quickly to clients requesting help; identify client expectations and requirements. Explain clearly why the client’s requirements or expectations cannot be fulfilled; easily accept extra salon responsibilities, such as reception duties as required
• Follow workplace, supplier, or manufacturer instructions for the safe use of equipment, materials, and products; meet legal and organisational requirements; maintain the client’s modesty, privacy, and comfort; reduce risks of cross-infection, injury, or fatigue; promote environmental and sustainable working practises; and ensure personal hygiene and protection meet industry, organisational, and local authority requirements.

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

• Depending on the employer, but likely GCSEs or equivalent qualifications or relevant experience.
• Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this before taking the end-point assessment.

Assessment methods

The End Point Assessment comprises three distinct assessment methods:  

• Observation and questioning
• Professional Discussion 

Duration, level, subjects and potential salary upon completion

Apprenticeship standard

More information about the Level 2 Hair Professional Apprenticeship standard can be found here.

Apprenticeship end point assessment

For more information about the End Point Assessment Process, please read the Institute of Apprenticeships’ information page.