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Cosmetology students learn valuable skills in a school setting. Reality, however, is very different from classroom theory! As a hairdresser, cutting, styling and colouring techniques are learned and practiced in a carefully controlled environment while in styling school.
A working salon is definitely not carefully controlled. Clients are more than a head of hair and have needs and moods not always easy to predict. That’s why a hairdressing apprenticeship is vital for your long-term career goals.
An apprenticeship for the hairdressing novice provides real-world training and confidence while under the watchful eye of a professional stylist.
What Do You Do in a Hairdressing Apprenticeship?
An apprentice begins by completing what may seem like menial tasks in the salon.
- Sweeping hair from the floor
- Sterilizing tools
- Scheduling appointments for other stylists
Although they may seem like boring tasks, as a stylist, in most salons, you are responsible for cleaning and maintaining your own work area. Completing these tasks is all part of developing a strong work ethic as part of a team in a salon.
As experience is gained, the apprentice progresses to more hands-on work with clients.
- Shampooing
- Hair cuts
- Assisting in perms, colouring
At the end of a successful placement, an apprentice will often get the opportunity to schedule their own clients.
10 Benefits of a Hairdressing Apprenticeship
- Upscale your skills
- Learn different techniques and approaches for unique client needs
- Modify your approach to keep clients happy and keep them coming back
- Customer service skills
- learn how to be caring, helpful and how to give good advice
- improve your interpersonal skills with a variety of client temperaments
- Front of salon duties
- Learn how to meet and greet clients and how to take payments
- Develop appropriate telephone manners
- Gain experience selling retail products
- Learn how to maintain a welcoming and professional reception area
- How to assist your styling team
- Learn how to prepare a work area for stylists
- Perfect your knowledge in preparing colour techniques
- Learn how to prepare clients for upcoming services
- Math and English essentials
- Improve your speaking and listening skills during client consultations
- Working with ratios and percentages are vital skills for colour formulations
- Improve your problem solving skills on the spot
- Professional Development
- Improve time management skills
- Build confidence with clients and your techniques
- Learn to create a positive impression of yourself and the salon
- Effective team worker
- Learn to effectively communicate as part of a team
- Build positive relationships with colleagues and clients
- An understanding of employer and employee rights and responsibilities
- Knowing your employer rights as well as your own rights in the workplace is vital in your career
- You are able to explore employee contracts, job descriptions and employment procedures important when creating a resume for future job searching
- Career-boosting enhancements
- Opportunities to attend trade shows and exhibitions
- Ability to attend product training sessions to improve your knowledge base and retail skills
- Experience for your resume
- An apprenticeship may turn into a job opportunity but even if it does not, your experience as an apprentice is valuable on your professional resume
How Many Hours Do You Need for a Hairstyling Apprenticeship?
According to the Ontario College of Trades, it is recommended that for competency as a stylist, you acquire 3020 hours of on-the-job work and 480 hours of in-school training. Typically, these hours are acquired over a two to three year period.
A hairdressing apprenticeship is a vital step in becoming a competent, sought after stylist. Your skills are perfected and you learn on the job vital business and marketing basics as well as all important client relation and retention skills. If you shine in your placement, you may even be retained by the salon gaining your first full-time job with people you have grown to respect during your apprenticeship.
Learn More at Eden College
Looking for superior training as a stylist? Earn a Hairstyling Diploma at Eden College where you can get the proper knowledge and skills to begin a promising career!