How to Become a Hairstylist Apprentice in Quebec
Become a hairstylist apprentice in Quebec: a DEP in hairdressing, a workplace apprenticeship with a companion, and the Red Seal exam.
How to Become a Hairstylist Apprentice in Saskatchewan
Become a hairstylist apprentice in Saskatchewan: a 1,500-hour pre-employment program, 3,600 hours of trade time, and the Red Seal exam.
Applies in: Saskatchewan
The short answer
Saskatchewan does not run hairstylist the way most provinces do. There is no traditional salon apprenticeship where you get hired first and learn on the job. Instead, you must first complete a pre-employment training program recognized by the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission (SATCC), and obtain a licence from the Commission before you start work in the trade. The trade takes 3,600 hours of trade time over at least two years, and ends with the interprovincial Red Seal exam and a practical exam.
Meet the entrance requirements
Your Grade 12 transcript with no modified classes, a Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC), or GED 12 is your guarantee that you meet the educational entrance requirements for apprenticeship in Saskatchewan. Employers prefer and recommend apprentices who have completed high school.
Hairstylist has its own bar within that rule: Grade 11 equivalency is required, with math at Grade 11 and science at Grade 11, and Health Science 20 is the preferred science class. People with modified or general classes in math or science do not meet the entry requirements and must take entrance requirement training prescribed by the SATCC. English is the language of instruction in all apprenticeship programs.
Complete the pre-employment program first
Hairstylist is a designated trade where you complete front-loaded, pre-employment training in advance of working in the trade. The SATCC's 2026–27 guide marks hairstylist with a double asterisk: you must complete a pre-employment training program and obtain a licence from the Commission before beginning work, and the total trade time is 3,600 hours over at least two years in the trade.
Saskatchewan Polytechnic runs the main public-college option: its Hairstylist diploma starts in September, runs 64 weeks full-time at the Prince Albert campus, and states that hairstylists must first complete a 1,500-hour pre-employment program. Admission needs Grade 12, and applications run on a first-qualified, first-admitted basis, opening September 1 each year. Tuition and fees for the 2026–27 academic year are $10,050 for Year 1 and $7,470 for Year 2. Other approved public and private vocational training schools around the province also deliver pre-employment programs, and the SATCC's guide lists approved pre-employment programs or individual courses as the training route.
Build 3,600 hours of trade time
The SATCC's 2026–27 guide lists Hairstylist as a two-year, 3,600-hour trade with approved pre-employment programs or individual courses. That 3,600 hours covers both the pre-employment program and the time you then spend working in the trade, and the trade takes at least two years.
The same guide lists 2025 wages for hairstylist at a low of $16.00, a median of $21.00, and a high of $33.00 per hour, covering journeypersons, apprentices, and tradespersons.
High school work can give you a head start. Students who complete the Saskatchewan Youth Apprenticeship (SYA) program can receive 300 hours of trade time, and the hairstylist trade allows a maximum of 400 pre-apprenticeship trade time hours in total, including the 300 SYA hours. High school students can acquire a maximum of 500 trade time hours through eligible high school course credits.
Write the Red Seal exam and the practical exam
To write the interprovincial journeyperson examination you must either complete an apprenticeship training program or meet tradesperson eligibility requirements. Apprentice requirements are two years and 3,600 hours. Tradesperson requirements are three years and 5,400 hours. There is a practical examination as well as the written exam, and the pass mark for the written exam is 70 percent.
The written exam has 120 questions drawn from the Red Seal Occupational Standard for hairstylist. The largest shares are altering hair colour at 21 percent, cutting hair at 20 percent, chemical texture services at 14 percent, and styling hair at 13 percent. The rest covers common occupational skills, hair care, scalp care, specialized services, and salon operations.
What the opened pages do not state
The SATCC pages opened for this guide do not publish the dollar amount of the SATCC licence fee or the exam fee, so this guide states no fee for either. They also do not publish exam sitting dates, so this guide gives none. The opened pages also do not list every currently approved private pre-employment school by name, so check with the SATCC before enrolling anywhere other than Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
Related guides:
- How to Become a Hairstylist Apprentice in Alberta — Alberta's sponsor-first route: two periods of 1,450 hours on the job plus 10 weeks of classroom instruction each.
- How to Become a Hairstylist Apprentice in Manitoba — Manitoba's two levels of 1,800 hours each, plus a written Red Seal exam and a practical exam.
- How to Become a Hairstylist Apprentice in Ontario — Ontario's compulsory trade at 3,500 hours: 3,020 on the job and 480 in school.
- How to Become a Hairstylist Apprentice in British Columbia — British Columbia's route for the same trade.
- How to Become a Carpenter Apprentice in Saskatchewan — a Saskatchewan trade that does use the traditional sponsor-first apprenticeship model.
- Apprenticeship Financial Support in Canada — grants, loans, and tax support available to apprentices across Canada.
If you do not meet the admission requirements yet
Saskatchewan Polytechnic has an alternative admission route for the Hairstylist diploma. Applicants who do not have the academic qualifications for the program may still be admitted if they can show evidence of probable success through an alternative admission assessment. Applicants are automatically considered for alternative admission, although some specific admission requirements may still need to be met. The college also recognizes prior learning: adults learn in many different ways, including through life and work experience and non-formal training, and the college assesses that learning for credit. Ask the college about prior learning assessment before you repeat training you have already done on the job.
Becoming a hairstylist apprentice in Saskatchewan, in five steps
- Meet the entrance requirementsGrade 12, or a Canadian Adult Education Credential or GED 12. Hairstylist needs Grade 11 math and Grade 11 science.
- Complete an SATCC-approved pre-employment programA 1,500-hour program comes first. You must finish it and get an SATCC licence before you start work in the trade.
- Register with the SATCC and build your trade timeTotal trade time is 3,600 hours over at least two years in the trade.
- Write the interprovincial Red Seal examThe exam has 120 questions and the pass mark is 70%. There is also a practical examination.
- Get your journeyperson certificateTwo years and 3,600 hours as an apprentice qualifies you to write the exam. Experienced workers can qualify as tradespersons at three years and 5,400 hours.
Questions people ask
Is hairstylist a compulsory trade in Saskatchewan?
Yes, in practice. Hairstylists who want to work in the trade are legally required to first complete a pre-employment training program recognized by the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission, and to obtain a licence from the Commission before beginning work.
Do I need a salon sponsor before I start training in Saskatchewan?
No. Saskatchewan is different from most provinces here. The traditional apprenticeship model is not offered for hairstylist in Saskatchewan. You complete an approved pre-employment program first, before you work in the trade, rather than getting hired by a salon and learning on the job from day one.
How many hours does the Saskatchewan hairstylist apprenticeship take?
Total trade time is 3,600 hours over at least two years in the trade. The pre-employment program is 1,500 hours of that total. Saskatchewan Polytechnic's Hairstylist diploma runs 64 weeks full-time at its Prince Albert campus.
What are the entrance requirements for the hairstylist trade in Saskatchewan?
Your Grade 12 transcript with no modified classes, a Canadian Adult Education Credential, or GED 12. For hairstylist specifically, the Commission requires Grade 11 equivalency: math at Grade 11 and science at Grade 11, with Health Science 20 as the preferred science. People with modified or general classes in math or science must take entrance requirement training prescribed by the Commission.
What exams do I write to become a certified hairstylist in Saskatchewan?
Two exams. The interprovincial Red Seal journeyperson examination has 120 questions and the pass mark is 70 percent. There is also a practical examination. Apprentices qualify to write after two years and 3,600 hours; tradespersons qualify after three years and 5,400 hours.
Can high school courses count toward my hairstylist apprenticeship in Saskatchewan?
Yes, up to a point. Students who complete the Saskatchewan Youth Apprenticeship program can receive 300 hours of trade time, and the hairstylist trade allows a maximum of 400 pre-apprenticeship trade time hours in total, including those 300 hours. High school students can acquire a maximum of 500 trade time hours through eligible course credits.
Sources
- Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission, Hairstylist Interprovincial Journeyperson Examination Information — apprentice requirements of two years and 3,600 hours, tradesperson requirements of three years and 5,400 hours, the practical examination, the 70 percent pass mark, and the 120-question exam breakdown.
- Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission, Entrance Requirements for Apprenticeship Training — Grade 12, CAEC, or GED 12 as the general guarantee, and the hairstylist requirement of Grade 11 equivalency with Grade 11 math and Grade 11 science.
- Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission, High School to Apprenticeship 2026–27 — hairstylist as a two-year, 3,600-hour trade with approved pre-employment programs, the licence-before-work rule, the SYA 300-hour recognition, and 2025 wages of $16.00 low, $21.00 median, and $33.00 high per hour.
- Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission, High School Trade Time Hours Towards Apprenticeship — the 400-hour maximum pre-apprenticeship trade time for hairstylist and the 500-hour maximum from high school course credits.
- Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Hairstylist — the 1,500-hour pre-employment program requirement, the 64-week diploma at Prince Albert, the September start, Grade 12 admission, and 2026–27 tuition of $10,050 for Year 1 and $7,470 for Year 2.