Clwydian Academy · CBC

Fast-track · Beginners & cross-mapping hairdressers

NVQ Level 2 Barbering, in six months.

The barbering industry is booming — precision fades, sharp styling and luxury grooming. Whether you’re new to the trade or a qualified hairdresser adding a lucrative second string, our fast-track diploma takes you there in six months, not two years.

Enquire / secure a space → Check PLA funding

Course at a glance

Qualification
NVQ Level 2 Diploma in Barbering (HBN2D17) VTCT-standard, nationally recognised
Duration
6 months, cohorts capped at 10
Format
2 consecutive academy days each fortnight at St Asaph Structured distance learning in the alternate weeks
Entry
Adults 19+ · no experience needed Qualified hairdressers can cross-map existing units and accelerate completion
Fees
£4,500 self-funded Fully funded routes for eligible learners — including apprenticeships
Apprenticeship
Available as a Welsh-framework apprenticeship Employed while you train, training fully funded, delivered at the fastest compliant pace
Next intake
Founding cohort — register interest now
Centre status
VTCT Approved Centre application in progress Approval precedes first delivery; PLA drawdown follows Medr registration

What you’ll master

  • The professional barbering consultation — hair and scalp analysis, face-shape mapping, growth patterns and contraindications
  • Precision men’s cutting — clipper work, scissor-over-comb, texturising and contemporary skin fades
  • Facial hair design — tapering, shaping and cutting beards and moustaches to the client’s features
  • Shampooing, conditioning and treating varied hair and scalp conditions
  • Blow-drying, structural styling and grooming products for modern men’s looks
  • Three specialist add-on units most entry courses skip: an introduction to luxury wet shaving, the business of barbering, and retail product promotion
£0for many learners — funded adult places and fully funded apprenticeship training. See funding routes →

A smarter route in

Six months. Not one year at college, not two on day-release.

Traditional college barbering demands three days a week for a year; standard apprenticeships stretch two years at a day a week. Our hybrid model — two intensive academy days each fortnight, theory at home between — gets you qualified and earning in six months.

Already a hairdresser? Cross-mapping recognises the units you hold, such as consultation and shampooing, cutting the repetition and accelerating your route to the chair.

  • Coached by an active industry practitioner with deep roots in the regional salon and barbershop circuit
  • Competition-ready portfolio built during your practical sessions — with coaching toward WorldSkills UK and Welsh grooming championships
  • Progression routes into NVQ Level 2 Hairdressing, Level 3, and graduate pathways into the Charlotte Eleanor Group franchise network
  • Strictly ten learners per intake for one-to-one coaching

Ready to pick up the clippers?

Founding-cohort barbering places are allocated in registration order — and hairdressers who cross-map move fastest.

Register interest → Fees & funding