Published 12 Feb 2020

Hairdressing Apprenticeship Guide | Everything you Need to Know

by Sabrina Sutton

Published 12 Feb 2020

Hairdressing Apprenticeship Guide | Everything you Need to Know

by Sabrina Sutton

Do you have an interest in the health and beauty industry? Have you thought about hairdressing as a possible career, but you’re unsure where to start? Would you like to learn more about your options?

Well, it’s here you’ll find out everything you need to know about how to begin in the hairdressing industry and why it could be the right career move for you. You can be any age to start an apprenticeship and there are plenty of mature age apprentices out there.

Hairdressing is a large, steady business in Australia that’s currently employing over 66,700 people. The majority of these workers are female (85%) in the 25-34 age bracket.

Hairdressing also offers both full-time and part-time work opportunities. Just under 50% of current hairdressing professionals work part-time hours, allowing plenty of time for other life commitments while still building a career!

Want to learn more about Apprenticeships and Traineeships in Australia?

So What is Hairdressing?

Hairdressing is a skill needed in multiple industries including retail, health and social care and education. However, the majority of hairdressers find themselves working within the beauty industry either in salons or as mobile hairdressers.

Some of the hard skills involved within hairdressing include:

Shampooing and conditioning hair and scalps
Cutting hair with relevant instruments
Styling hair – temporary and permanent (special occasions looks, dread-locking, perms etc.)
Colouring, toning and highlighting hair
Cleaning the work area and instruments
General hair care and health appraisals
Computer and booking management skills
Payment handling

However, hairdressing is not just the hard skills. ‘Soft skills’ or interpersonal skills are incredibly essential as a hairdresser. I think we’ve all been to the salon before and accidentally spilled our guts out to our hairdresser?

And they seem like great listeners, right? So, you can imagine their people-skills have to be pretty impressive. Hairdressing is a social job and requires excellent customer service skills.

Some of the soft skills involved in hairdressing include:

Be able to actively listen to your client and understand what they want/need
Offer your professional advice or opinion about the clients’ hair
Take on and handle criticism from clients and management
Manage your time efficiently
Being able to read a customer’s body language and facial expressions to ensure all needs are being met

Like carpentry, hairdressing is also an apprenticeship. Hairdressing is more than just grabbing a pair of scissors and hoping for the best. It involves precise motor skills, in-depth industry knowledge, organization and fantastic customer service skills. That’s why completing a hairdressing apprenticeship is essential to begin your hairdressing career.

Hairdressing Courses

To become a hairdresser, you must complete a hairdressing apprenticeship. The good news is that there are minimal requirements for beginning your apprentice journey. You only have to be over 16 and have a minimum completion of Year 10 Literacy.

An apprenticeship is a learning method that involves both formal study and practical, on-the-job training. This means you not only get to study about the trade, but you get to learn all the technical skills in a hands-on, professional environment. An apprenticeship is completed through a registered training organisation (RTO).

However, the practical component will be with a host employer sourced by either the education provider or self-sourced. During these practical hours, you will be on a training contract as an apprentice hairdresser. It’s during these hours you will be learning, and refining your hairdressing skills.

over

of hairdressers complete their apprenticeship via a Certificate III or IV in hairdressing

Assessments during an apprenticeship include hands-on work (such as workplace tasks), written assignments, tests and team projects. Many students choose to study a full-time load (3-4 days a week), which means they’re a qualified hairdresser within a year! There are even courses tailored to specific types of hairdressing such as apprenticeships for barbering.

If you’re unsure about hairdressing, but you’re interested in the beauty industry, there are also more general options such as a Diploma or Certificate III in Beauty Therapy, which includes learning about massage, facials, waxing and more.

Career Options

It’s self-explanatory that by completing a hairdressing apprenticeship, you’ll most likely become a hairdresser. However, what many don’t realize is that there are multiple career opportunities within hairdressing!

There are numerous career opportunities available to you after completing your apprenticeship – it’s just up to you what part of hairdressing you enjoy the most!

Some careers are:

Salon Owner/ Manager
Owning and managing your own salon includes not only being a professional at your craft but also being able to run a business. This includes administrative work, as well as client and employee supervision.
Product Consultant
Whether you work for a specific client or salon, this role is all about those beautiful hair products we love when we go to the hairdressers. This job includes understanding industry products, quality checking, product demonstrations, and ensuring all staff understand the product and its use.
Colouring Specialist
We’ve all experienced or heard of a bad die-job. As a colouring specialist, it’s up to you to ensure you never give someone a bad colouring experience, as well as fixing other technicians’ mistakes. You’ll be a master at all things dies, pigments and toners.
Salon Assistant
Not all salons have a specific administrative role, but if they do, the salon assistant is usually responsible for this role. This role includes helping hairdressers with their duties while ensuring all bookings are running smoothly and payment is taken.

By completing a hairdressing apprenticeship, you’re given a hands-on approach to learning the required skills for one of the most steady, reliable businesses in Australia.

Within a year you could be a newly qualified hairdresser with multiple career pathways at your fingertips. If you’re a social, practical, hands-on person – this is the career for you!

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