How to Become a Machinist Apprentice in British Columbia
BC machinist apprenticeship: four levels, 870 hours of technical training, 6,330 work-based hours, and the Red Seal exam.
How to Become a Hairstylist Apprentice in British Columbia
BC hairstylist apprenticeship: two levels, 3,150 work-based hours, a written exam plus a practical assessment, and the Red Seal exam.
Applies in: British Columbia
A hairstylist in British Columbia cuts, trims, perms, straightens, and styles hair, colours hair including bleaching, tinting, dyeing, and streaking, applies hair extensions, analyzes a client's hair and scalp, and recommends treatments, care, hairstyles, and colours. SkilledTradesBC runs the apprenticeship as a harmonized program with two levels, 15 weeks of technical training over two years, and 3,150 hours of work-based training, ending in the interprovincial Red Seal exam plus a standardized practical assessment.
The path in one paragraph
Get hired by a salon that will sponsor you, register the apprenticeship with SkilledTradesBC, and work through two levels that mix paid salon time with classroom blocks: 300 hours at Level 1 and 150 hours at Level 2. Pass Level 1 with a minimum of 70 per cent and pass the standardized written exam, log 3,150 hours of work-based training, then pass the standardized practical assessment and write the Red Seal exam at a minimum of 70 per cent.
First: voluntary in British Columbia, and the practical assessment is the part apprentices forget
Certification is voluntary in British Columbia, so you can cut hair for pay without the ticket, and no licence is needed to practise. The apprenticeship is still the way to the Red Seal endorsement, which is what makes the credential portable to the five provinces where the trade is compulsory. The part apprentices forget is the practical assessment. This is one of the few trades where the written exam is not the whole test: you must also pass a standardized practical assessment, booked separately, with a fee of approximately $500 set by the assessment agency. Plan for it from the start, because it tests hands-on cutting, colouring, and styling on a real client, not just the theory you studied for the written exam.
Step 1: Get hired by a salon and register with SkilledTradesBC
The apprenticeship starts with a salon job. Approach salons and barber shops and ask for an apprenticeship, not just a front-desk or assistant job, and be ready to show why you are worth training: a foundation program, school cosmetology courses, or hands-on experience all help. You must register with SkilledTradesBC along with your sponsor, and online registration is available for most programs. SkilledTradesBC recommends Grade 10 with English 10, Mathematics 10, and Science 10, and prefers Grade 12, but those are recommended, not prerequisites. Register for technical training as early as possible once registered, because SkilledTradesBC advises apprentices to register early to secure a seat with a designated training provider.
Step 2: Complete Level 1
Level 1 is 300 hours of technical training and ends with a SkilledTradesBC standardized written exam. You need a minimum of 70 per cent in the technical training. Between school blocks you are back in the salon logging work-based training hours toward the 3,150 total, shampooing, cutting, and colouring under a certified hairstylist. Keep your own record of hours and competencies, because the recommendation for certification at the end is signed by your sponsor or a person holding credentials eligible for sign-off authority, and a clean record makes that signature easy. Sign-off authority in this trade includes holders of the BC Beauty Council certificate and the Cosmetology Industry Association of BC certificate, as well as certified hairstylists.
Step 3: Complete Level 2
Level 2 is 150 hours of technical training, the second and final level. The content builds on Level 1 with advanced cutting, colouring, chemical treatments, and the business fundamentals of running a chair: client consultation, retail, and salon operations. There is no standardized written exam at Level 2. Instead, the level leads into the two final assessments, the practical assessment and the Red Seal exam, so treat the Level 2 block as preparation for both, not as a wind-down.
Step 4: Pass the practical assessment
In addition to the written examination, you must undertake a standardized practical assessment, with the criteria set out in the Hairstylist Practical Assessment Information package. SkilledTradesBC states the fee is set by the assessment agency and will be approximately $500. Book it by contacting North Pacific, using the email given on the SkilledTradesBC hairstylist page. Practise the assessment tasks on real clients under supervision before you book, because the assessment must meet the SkilledTradesBC standard, and a failed attempt costs you both the fee and the time.
Step 5: Write the Red Seal exam
The interprovincial Red Seal exam needs a minimum of 70 per cent. It is aligned to the 2019 Hairstylist Red Seal Occupational Standard, and passing it, together with the practical assessment and the 3,150 work-based training hours, earns the Certificate of Qualification with the interprovincial Red Seal endorsement. The endorsement is what lets you work as a certified hairstylist in the provinces where the trade is compulsory, including Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.
Step 6: Use the foundation or challenge routes if the standard path does not fit
Two routes sit alongside the standard apprenticeship. The foundation route is for people with no salon sponsor yet: a 990-hour program plus a 300-hour practicum, generally 33 weeks at 30 hours a week, taken directly with a training provider, which grants Level 1 technical training credit and 1,290 hours of work-based training credit. Youth can also start in high school through the Youth Train in Trades or Youth Work in Trades programs. The challenge route is for experienced workers: with 4,725 documented hours of directly related experience and an approved challenge application, you can write the Red Seal exam and take the practical assessment without the apprenticeship.
Figures the opened SkilledTradesBC and Job Bank pages do not state
The opened pages state the 300 and 150 hours of technical training, the 3,150 work-based training hours, the 70 per cent pass marks, the practical assessment and its approximate $500 fee, and the voluntary status in British Columbia. They do not state the tuition for technical training, which is set by each training provider, or apprentice wage rates. Those figures were cut from this guide rather than filled in from a college or third-party site. Confirm tuition with the training provider before you enrol, and confirm current wage expectations with salons in your area.
Related guides:
- How to Become a Hairstylist Apprentice in Ontario: Ontario's compulsory-trade route, where certification is required to practise.
- How to Become a Cook Apprentice in British Columbia: another British Columbia SkilledTradesBC apprenticeship with the same register-with-a-sponsor start.
- How to Become a Welder Apprentice in British Columbia: a British Columbia trade where the apprenticeship runs four levels instead of two.
- Apprenticeship Financial Support in Canada 2026: Canada Apprentice Loan, EI During School, and What Replaced the Closed Grants: loans and Employment Insurance support for the weeks you spend in technical training.
The British Columbia hairstylist path
- Get hired and registerA salon sponsors you and you register the apprenticeship with SkilledTradesBC.
- Complete Level 1300 hours of technical training and a SkilledTradesBC standardized written exam.
- Complete Level 2150 hours of technical training, the second and final level.
- Pass the practical assessmentA standardized practical assessment, in addition to the written exam, with a fee of approximately $500.
- Write the Red Seal examThe interprovincial Red Seal exam needs a minimum of 70 per cent, after 3,150 work-based hours.
- Work as a certified hairstylistThe Red Seal endorsement lets you work as a certified hairstylist across Canada.
Questions people ask
How long does a hairstylist apprenticeship take in British Columbia?
Generally two years. SkilledTradesBC states 15 weeks of technical training over two years alongside 3,150 hours of work-based training. The technical training is 300 hours at Level 1 and 150 hours at Level 2. Vancouver Community College states the same shape, with the technical training generally taking two years to complete alongside 3,150 hours of work-based training, and no maximum time to completion, so the pace depends on steady salon employment.
Is hairstylist a compulsory trade in British Columbia?
No. Job Bank, for hairstylists and barbers under NOC 63210, states that trade certification for hairstylists is compulsory in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, and available but voluntary in British Columbia and the other listed provinces and territories. You can cut hair for pay in British Columbia without the certificate, but the apprenticeship is the route to the Red Seal endorsement, which is the credential other provinces recognize.
What education do I need to start a hairstylist apprenticeship in British Columbia?
SkilledTradesBC recommends, but does not require, Grade 10 or equivalent, with English 10, Mathematics 10, and Science 10, and prefers Grade 12. The recommendation is a desired level of skill that contributes to success in the industry, not a prerequisite. What you must have is a salon employer to sponsor you, because you register with SkilledTradesBC along with your sponsor.
What is the practical assessment, and what does it cost?
In addition to the written examination, candidates must undertake a practical assessment, and the details are in the Hairstylist Practical Assessment Information package on the SkilledTradesBC page. SkilledTradesBC states there is a fee attached to the practical assessment, set by the assessment agency, of approximately $500. You book the practical assessment by contacting North Pacific, whose email is given on the SkilledTradesBC hairstylist page. The program profile states the practical assessment must meet the SkilledTradesBC standard.
What does the foundation program give you toward the apprenticeship?
It gives you Level 1 technical training credit and 1,290 hours of work-based training credit. The foundation program is 990 hours of technical training plus a 300-hour practicum, and it generally takes 33 weeks to complete assuming 30 hours in school per week. You enrol directly with the training provider rather than through SkilledTradesBC. The practicum must be completed in the workplace or in a supervised simulated workplace, and instructors must report the result for each foundation student.
Can I challenge the certification exam without doing an apprenticeship in British Columbia?
Yes, if you have extensive experience working in the occupation. You complete the Hairstylist Challenge Application and submit it to SkilledTradesBC, with 4,725 documented hours of directly related experience, and challenge applications are assessed for proof of workplace hours and scope of experience before acceptance. Challengers must pass both the interprovincial Red Seal exam, at a minimum of 70 per cent, and the SkilledTradesBC standardized practical assessment.
Sources
- SkilledTradesBC, Hairstylist — 15 weeks of technical training over 2 years, 3,150 hours of work-based training, Red Seal certification, the practical assessment and its approximately $500 fee, and the Trade Qualifier challenge route.
- SkilledTradesBC, Hairstylist Program Profile — Level 1 300 hours and Level 2 150 hours, the 70 per cent pass marks, the 3,150 work-based training hours, the 4,725-hour challenge route, the foundation program and its credits, the recommended education, and registration with SkilledTradesBC along with a sponsor.
- Job Bank, Hairstylist Apprentice near Prince George (BC) — Job requirements — NOC 63210 employment requirements: trade certification for hairstylists compulsory in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, and available but voluntary in British Columbia, and the Red Seal endorsement.
- Job Bank, Hairstylist Apprentice in British Columbia — job requirements — the NOC 63210 employment requirements, including completion of a one- or two-year hairstyling apprenticeship program and the voluntary status in British Columbia.