Cambridge Regional College – one of the first in region to offer new Barbering Apprenticeship

Cambridge Regional College (CRC) has launched a new Barbering Professional Apprenticeship offering. This is a new national offering, no longer part of the Hairdressing Apprenticeship, it is now recognised as a standalone programme in which Apprentices can learn about barbering from the basic skills and up, or for those already working in the industry to improve their skillset.

The launch event was held at CRC’s Huntingdon campus’s Vitality Salon where guests included local employers, City and Guilds representatives and the CRC team that will deliver the Barbering Standard.

The college’s Huntingdon Campus has been delivering Barbering courses for adult learners for many years and is currently offering Barbering Level 2 Certificate starting this September.

CRC welcomes this development of the Barbering Standard, Lucy Kaye, Work-Based Learning Manager, said “It is great to see this new Barbering Standard offered nationally and we are very proud to be amongst the first to offer it within the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area. We have a history of delivering high quality Barbering training working with industry experts like the Great British Barbering Association and are thrilled to add the apprenticeship as a training option for Barbers across our region.”

Diane Mitchell, Lead Independent Assessor, from the City & Guilds and key speaker at the event said, “It was a pleasure to support CRC in promoting the new Barbering Professional Apprenticeship Standard to their local employers. The new standard reflects the needs of today’s barbershops, including the apprentice’s ability to demonstrate a range of barbering skills tailored to client requirements, whilst providing an outstanding service.”

The College has two main sites in Cambridge and Huntingdon and boasts specialist vocational facilities covering a range of areas including hair and beauty, engineering, construction, science, catering, and hospitality. Working with over 1,500 employers both in the region and nationally, CRC is rated as the number 1 provider in the region in terms of apprenticeship employer satisfaction and is looking forward to working with Barbering Salons on the new standard.