How to Become a Hairstylist Apprentice in Manitoba

The short answer

To become a hairstylist in Manitoba you register as an apprentice with Apprenticeship Manitoba, complete two levels of training totalling 3,600 hours, and pass the written interprovincial Red Seal exam and a practical exam. Hairstylist is a compulsory certification trade in Manitoba — everyone working in the trade must register as an apprentice immediately unless they are already a certified journeyperson.

The route, in order, is: register as an apprentice, complete Level 1, complete Level 2, pass the written Red Seal exam, and pass the practical exam. Do not carry Alberta's hours into this guide — Manitoba's 1,800 hours per level and its two-exam certification are its own.

Step 1 — Register as an apprentice with Apprenticeship Manitoba

Find a salon that will hire you and register as an apprentice with Apprenticeship Manitoba. Because the trade is compulsory, registration must happen immediately when you start work in the trade — the only exception is a person who is already a certified journeyperson. Your employer sponsors your apprenticeship and supervises your on-the-job training. Apprenticeship Manitoba's trade fact sheet for hairstylist is the source for the levels, hours, and exams in this guide.

Step 2 — Complete Level 1 training

Level 1 requires 1,800 hours of on-the-job and in-class training. The in-class part is delivered through accredited training — Manitoba's accredited hairstyling programs, such as the Louis Riel Arts and Technology Centre program, run 1,400 hours of in-school training and require a 70 percent average to complete, with the practical exam administered by Apprenticeship Manitoba. During Level 1 you are paid at least the provincial minimum wage plus 10 percent.

Step 3 — Complete Level 2 training

Level 2 requires a further 1,800 hours of on-the-job training, bringing the program total to 3,600 hours. The Ellis Chart records the same 3,600-hour total for Manitoba, with 2,200 on-the-job hours and 1,400 hours of technical training across the program. During Level 2 you are paid at least the provincial minimum wage plus 20 percent. Your hours are logged and confirmed by your sponsor salon as you go.

Step 4 — Pass the written Red Seal exam

The certification requirements list completion of a written interprovincial Red Seal exam first. The Red Seal exam is the national examination for the trade, and passing it earns the Red Seal endorsement, which lets you work as a hairstylist in other provinces and territories without re-certifying. Manitoba offers the Red Seal endorsement for this trade, unlike Ontario, which does not currently offer it.

Step 5 — Pass the practical exam

The second certification requirement is completion of a practical exam. The practical exam tests the hands-on work of the trade and is administered by Apprenticeship Manitoba. Passing both the written Red Seal exam and the practical exam earns the journeyperson certificate and the Red Seal endorsement, and you are then a certified journeyperson hairstylist in Manitoba.

Already experienced? The trade qualifier route

If you already have years of hairstylist experience but never apprenticed, Manitoba's Trades Qualification (TQ) program lets you challenge the certification exams without doing the apprenticeship. For hairstylist you need 5,400 hours of work in the trade, with experience in at least 70 percent of the trade's scope — time spent as a registered apprentice does not count toward this. You must live in Manitoba.

Apply with the trades qualification application, a $200 non-refundable assessment fee, and an employer declaration form from an employer who can verify your experience (a statutory declaration instead if you were self-employed or the employer is no longer in business). Applications take up to eight weeks to process after payment and all documents are received. If you are approved, you are mailed a temporary permit that lets you work in the trade while you wait to challenge the exam. You then have one year to write the theory certification exam (four hours, 70 percent to pass) and the practical exam. The trades qualification certification exam fee is $400, and a re-exam is $100. Exams are written in Manitoba, in Winnipeg, Brandon, Thompson, or The Pas.

What the opened pages do not state

The Apprenticeship Manitoba fact sheet opened for this guide does not publish the apprentice registration fee, the exam fees, or the tuition for the in-school training, so this guide prints no fee figures for those items; check the current fees with Apprenticeship Manitoba before you pay. The fact sheet does not publish a processing timeline for apprentice registration, so this guide gives none. The wage figures in this guide are percentages above the provincial minimum wage, not dollar amounts, so they stay correct when the minimum wage changes. This guide gives no advice on whether you qualify — that is Apprenticeship Manitoba's decision when it assesses your application. Job Bank's NOC 63210 page confirms trade certification is compulsory in Manitoba, but it does not set Manitoba's rules — Apprenticeship Manitoba does.

Related guides:

• How to Become a Hairstylist Apprentice in British Columbia — the BC route, where the same trade is voluntary rather than compulsory.
• How to Become a Hairstylist Apprentice in Ontario — the Ontario route, a compulsory trade that does not offer the Red Seal endorsement.
• How to Get Your Red Seal Endorsement in Canada — what the Red Seal endorsement is and how it works across provinces.
• How to Become a Real Estate Agent in Manitoba — another Manitoba licensed occupation, through a course and exam rather than an apprenticeship.

Sources

• Apprenticeship Manitoba, Hairstylist — Compulsory Certification Trade — the compulsory trade status, the two levels of 1,800 hours, the Red Seal and practical exam requirements, and the apprentice wage rates.
• Ellis Chart, Hairstylist — the national comparison showing Manitoba's 3,600 total training hours, the Red Seal endorsement offered, and the trade qualifier option.
• Job Bank, Hairstylist Apprentice in Manitoba — Job Requirements — NOC 63210, trade certification compulsory in Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, and the secondary school and training requirements.
• Red Seal Program, Harmonization of Apprenticeship Training — Hairstylist — the official Red Seal name of the trade, two recommended levels of technical training, and 3,600 total training hours.
• Apprenticeship Manitoba, Apply to Become a Trade Qualifier — the 70 percent scope rule, the $200 non-refundable application fee, the Manitoba residency requirement, the temporary permit for hairstylists, and the eight-week processing time.
• Apprenticeship Manitoba, Trades Qualification for Experienced Tradespersons — the one-year window to write the theory and practical exams, the 70 percent pass mark, and the $400 certification exam fee with a $100 re-exam fee.