8 October 2021
Do you have an apprentice on the Level 2 Hair Professional Apprenticeships, or are you thinking of taking on an apprentice? If so, you now have the chance to influence how this apprenticeship will change and develop in the future.
The (Trailblazer) apprenticeships (England only) were originally developed by hair and beauty employees to ensure apprentices gain the level of knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to work well in a hair salon, barbershop or beauty salon.
Following the Institute for Apprenticeship and Technical Education (IfATE) route review in mid-2019, the review of the Hair Professional standard was temporally placed on hold due to the Coronavirus in 2020. The Hair Professional Apprenticeship Steering Group (HPASG) and Expert working groups have been working over the last year to review the apprenticeships, which is now ready for wider consultation.
Wendy Cummins, the Trailblazer chair stated, “It’s more important now more than ever in these challenging times that we have an Apprenticeship Standard, End Point Assessment and appropriate funding band that supports apprentices and meets the needs of our industry.“
Caroline Larissey, NHBF director of quality & standards added, “The new Hairdressing Professional Apprenticeship at Level 2 will continue to raise the bar, provide apprentices with the right knowledge, skills and behaviours to competently work within the hairdressing industry and will set a great foundation for continual professional development and progression”.
How to take part
The consultation documents can be downloaded: HERE.
It is vital that the consultation document is read before completing the surveys, which can be found
The survey closes on Thursday 21 October 2021.
About the Level 2 Hair Professional Standard
The Level 2 Hair Professional Standard and End Point Assessment Plan was originally developed in 2016 via the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Around 7,000 hairdressing and barbering apprenticeships were undertaken in 2019/ 20. Find out more about the benefits and apprenticeships in England by visiting the NHBF education hub/apprenticeships.
COVID and the impact on apprenticeships in 2019-21
COVID-19 has had a significant impact on both the hair and beauty sectors in 2020 and 2021. In February 2021 the NHBF worked with independent economic analysts Pragmatix Advisory on in-depth research into the effects of the pandemic on the hair and beauty industry. The findings can be found HERE. This alongside quarterly state of the industry surveys provided a powerful insight into effect on both employers and apprenticeships.