INDUSTRY UPDATES

By Mandy McMullen, National Training Manager

Who can believe it is 6 years since the new apprentice standards and end point assessments were introduced? We are now at the stage of the hair professional Level 2 being updated, and the Level 3 advanced and creative hair professional due for review, along with the Level 2 beauty standards.

Level 2 Hair Professional Standard Updated

This marks a massive boost for the sector, raising standards for apprenticeship in the hairdressing and barbering industries.

The original hair professional standard which covered both hairdressing and barbering, as optional pathways, has now been split into two separate apprenticeship standards:

• Hairdressing Professional at Level 2

• Barbering Professional at Level 2

The revised standard represents a further raising of the bar from the 2016 standard. New content to the on-programme knowledge has been included which reflect today’s modern hair salons and barbershops, including Employee Rights and responsibilities, hairdressing/barbershop culture, history, industry codes of conduct, best practice, infection control, ethics, social media, hair types and classification (type 1 straight (Asian hair) to type 4 coily/very curly (afro/ texture), and maintaining the mental health and wellbeing of self and clients.

Whilst the on-programme skills area stays largely unchanged the end point assessment sees the introduction of a 40-question knowledge test, a professional discussion and new model requirements in the practical assessment including:

During the practical assessment, the apprentice will be assessed on the following when performing services on at least two different clients.

Ways of working

• follow all health and safety legislation

• follow environmental and sustainable working practices

Consultation/customer care

• a consultation for a colour

• an evaluation of the colour service

• provide aftercare advice following the colouring service

Shampoo/condition

• shampoo and condition the hair and scalp selecting the correct products and massage techniques for the hair classification and characteristics

Style and dress

• styling and finishing hair using a round brush and finger-drying

• set and dress the hair

• use a minimum of two styling and finishing products

Cut and restyle hair (two clients)

• restyle hair to create a personalised short or medium (above the shoulder) length haircut, changing the shape, length and style of the hair

• a haircut

Use a minimum of six different cutting techniques from the list below when completing the haircuts:

• club cutting

• precision cutting

• scissor over comb

• clipper over comb

• texturizing

• disconnection

• layering

• razor cutting

• graduation

• freehand

Colouring and lightening hair

• complete a colouring and lightening service on one client using a minimum of two products and techniques to change the colour (depth and tone) of the hair

• woven highlights using either foils or wraps to the root on a minimum 30% of the hair (this could include a T-section of the head or scattered throughout the hair) using either a high lift colour or lightening product (high lift tint or pre lightener) achieving at least two levels of lift

• application of another colouring product either a quasi-permanent, demi-permanent or permanent colour) to change the tone of the hair

All L2 hairdressing apprentices enrolled after May 2023 will be sitting the new and improved end point assessment.