Great News for the Hairdressing Industry in Ireland

A new 3 Year National Hairdressing Apprenticeship programme is currently in development and is expected to be launched around September 2019. The Apprenticeship will be certified by Quality and Qualifications Ireland at level 6 on the National Framework of Qualifications.

The new nationally-recognised hairdressing qualification has been developed following a call from the industry for a formal apprenticeship programme in hairdressing.

It is proposed that participants will have 80% on-the-job training with the employer and 20% off-the-job training with an education provider. The off-the-job training of apprentices will be free of charge, Education Providers do not charge for any part of this training.

Apprentices will be supported in the workplace by Workplace Mentors nominated by the employer. The Mentors will guide the apprentice through their apprenticeship as part of a normal salon day or week. Mentors will be experienced hairdressers and will occupy a role in the workplace that corresponds to a senior hairdresser level. They will be appointed by the employer and approved by the Senior Training Advisor/Authorised Officer.

Employers and Workplace Mentors will be briefed on the Workplace Assessment by the programme team in collaboration with the Consortium Steering Group. They will be trained to ensure that they understand their responsibility in relation to training and assessing an apprentice on-the-job, to industry and awarding body standard. They can be responsible for mentoring and assessing apprentices in the workplace.

The Workplace Mentor needs to have 5 years post qualification experience and they do not need to hold a formal certificate in hairdressing. They will have to attend a one day Mentor training workshop provided by the Education and Training Boards free of charge.

There are 2 steps in this process for Employers:

The employer will have to become an approved SOLAS employer by contacting their local Education and Training Board to arrange a visit from the Senior Training Advisor/Authorised Officer as part of what is referred to as the ‘suitability to train’ process.

Once the employer is approved by SOLAS, they will then be able to register their apprentice by completing the registration form and returning the documentation. This process will usually take between a week to ten days.

Senior Training Advisors/SOLAS Authorised Officers are available to guide and assist employers through the approval and registration process.

The National Apprenticeship Co-ordinator and local Education Training Board Programme Leaders are available to offer clarity and support where needed. Training and resource material is available for workplace mentors. Workplace mentors and employers are also offered assistance from the Senior Training Advisors/SOLAS Authorised Officers, Programme Leaders and the National Apprenticeship Co-ordinator as appropriate.

The current scheduled date for completion of the development stage of the apprenticeship is September 2019. This is subject to validation.

A comprehensive range of information on apprenticeships in Ireland is available at http://hairdressingapprenticeship.ie/