Professional Barbering Programs
Barbering Courses – Part-time and Full-time
This program has been approved by the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB) of the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education & Future Skills.
Barbering is Booming!
Barbershops are back on trend and staking a major claim in the grooming market. According to Forbes Magazine, Barbering is one of the fastest growing professions in the world.
“There is a cultural resurgence of men’s grooming, estimated to reach $26 billion [within the next five years].” Forbes Magazine
From classic old school barbershops, upscale men’s grooming salons, IG-worthy hipster hangouts to gender-neutral spaces, Barbering is an in-demand trade that caters to a wide array of lifestyles.
Program Overview
Our professional Barbering Programs will fully prepare you for this growing industry. Learn the tools, skills and techniques to develop your own home based business, rent a barber chair, or join a top tier shop, studio or salon. With the mentorship of our award-winning instructors you will gain a broad set of tools and techniques, learn fundamental business skills, and develop the confidence and creativity to succeed in this industry. To accelerate your career, we created both a full-time and a condensed part-time Barbering program that can adapt to your schedule. We’ll fast-track your career by equipping you with the essential skills needed for cutting, clipper work, fading and blending, shaving, razor techniques, beard design and shaping, styling, and finishing for both classic and modern styles.
Each level is a carefully curated mix of theory, workshops, practical work, and real-life experience. Our dedicated instructors will coach you on business essentials, client relations, resumé building, social media and retail strategies. Take part in professional photo shoots to build an industry-standard portfolio with images that you can boost on social media. While this fast paced, progressive curriculum is rooted in the important foundational theory of barbering, Blanche Macdonald also recognizes the importance of developing skills through practical application; Through our cutting edge student-operated salon, Q&A, students are given the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a safe environment, while developing a client base that could follow them throughout their careers.
Explore the Kit
Every Pro Barbering student receives a kit complete with all the tools you need to embark on your new journey. Join Kattie and Abby as they introduce you to the kit contents!
*Please note that kit contents can change without notice.
Real Shop Experience:
To become a top Barbering professional, you need to perfect your craft through hours dedicated to practice and first-hand application.
OUR Q&A STUDENT SALON
Q&A is our student-operated hair salon at the Atelier Campus, in downtown Vancouver. There, you will work with real clients while receiving support and mentorship from your instructors. You’ll gain real-life experience in a salon setting as you develop the speed, accuracy and confidence needed to compete and excel professionally. This is where our Pro Barbering students put their knowledge to practice.
By working on outside clients, you will nurture strong interpersonal and customer service skills, helping you deal with challenges and learning to keep cool under pressure. Q&A will also provide you with exclusive product knowledge, insight from private training sessions and the chance to work with premiere product lines. This experiential approach to education will create fluidity between your in-class and ‘real world’ experiences, ensuring a seamless transition from classroom to career upon graduation.
ONSITE AT A BARBERSHOP OR SALON
Students in our our Full-time Pro Barbering program will be placed in a professional Barbershop or Hair Salon for the final 120 hours of their program. The Blanche Macdonald Centre has a partnership with over 30 vetted Barbershops and 100 Hair Salons that have been approved to host the Barbering Work Experience. This is an excellent way for our Barbering students to gain industry connections, additional skills, experience and access to job opportunities.
Program Options: 250 Hours OR 600 Hours
1. Professional Barbering Foundations Program (250 hours)
Credentials: Diploma
Total Program Hours: 250 hours; Part-time
A. SCHEDULE:
Option 1 — 13 weeks (Wednesdays to Fridays)
3 days per week schedule; 8 hours per day.
For the first 6 weeks, students will receive 24 hours per week of instructional time from Wednesdays-Fridays, 9:00am to 5:00pm.
From Week 7, students will begin Salon floor time and change to a 16 hours per week schedule for the remainder of the program on Thursdays and Fridays, 9:00am to 5:00pm.
Total of 250 hours
Option 2 — 20 weeks (Sundays and Tuesday evenings)
1.5 days per week schedule; 12.5 hours per week.
Tuesday evenings from 6:00pm – 10:00pm (4 hours), and
Sundays from 9:00am – 5:30pm (8.5 hours)
Total of 250 hours
Note: course length may vary slightly due to Statutory holidays and the December holiday break
B. TUITION:
Domestic tuition starts at $4,600 with various payment plans.
Barbering Professional Kit $2,250 plus applicable taxes.
C. STUDENT LOANS:
Student Loans for BC students who are without dependents, for those who quality, can receive a maximum of $320 per week.
For a 24 week program this is $320 x 24 = $7,680 in Student Loan funding.
Student Loan funding amounts can vary from each province. If you are applying from another province, please check with your province regarding funding estimates. Some other provinces may also have additional grants and larger student loan estimates to help offset costs.
2. Professional Barbering Program (600 hours)
Credentials: Diploma
Total Program Hours: 600 hours; Full-time
A. SCHEDULE — 25 weeks:
3 days per week from Wednesdays to Fridays (9:00am – 5:00pm);
8 hours per day = 24 hours per week
Total of 600 hours
Note: course length may vary slightly due to Statutory holidays and the December holiday break
B. TUITION:
Domestic tuition starts at $7,500 with various payment plans.
Barbering Professional Kit $2,250 plus applicable taxes.
C. STUDENT LOANS:
The Barbering 600 hour program is designated for Student Loan funding.
For students who qualify for Student Loan funding, each province allocates different amounts for Student Loan funding.
In BC, students who qualify who do not have dependents, can receive up to $320 per week.
For a 25 week program x $320, the maximum funding would be $8000.
In BC, students who qualify, who do have dependents receive a higher amount of funding per week.
Licensing
There are no provincial licensing requirements to work as a Barber in British Columbia.
If you are going to be practicing Barbering in a different province or country, it is each student’s responsibility to verify the licensing requirements and training hours required.
For example, in some provinces like Alberta, this province requires substantially more hours of training and apprenticeship hours in order to work as a Barber in Alberta.
For those students who will be practicing Barbering outside of BC, the student is responsible for ensuring how the Blanche Macdonald training hours are applied to any licensing requirements of your home province or country. The Blanche Macdonald Centre is not responsible for how other provinces or countries recognize or apply the training hours for the Blanche Macdonald Barbering programs.
Submit Your Application
The college reserves the right to change course offerings, course content, kit contents, facilities, faculty, tuition fees, and course schedules without notice.
Professional Barbering Programs Brochure
Professional Barbering Foundations Program (250 hours) includes Levels 1 to 7:
Level 1 The Cut – 16 traditional cuts
Level 2 The Shave – razors, clippers, modern shaving tools, beards, moustaches
Level 3 The Science – skin and scalp care
Level 4 The Style – blowdrying and styling
Level 5 The Purity – sanitation, hygiene, safety
Level 6 The Products – grooming, styling, skincare
Level 7 The Clients – service, developing a clientele, marketing essentials
Professional Barbering Program (600 hours) includes the above levels and the following (Levels 1 to 11):
Level 8 The Colour – products, science, creativity, technique of hair colour
Level 9 The Stencil – creating hair stencils, hair tattoos
Level 10 The Shop – the business of Barbering
Level 11 The Work Experience – practical work experience at a Barbershop or Hair Salon.
The college reserves the right to change course offerings, course content, kit contents, facilities, faculty, tuition fees, and course schedules without notice.
Professional Barbering Foundations Program (250 hours) includes Levels 1 to 7
Professional Barbering Program (600 hours) includes Levels 1 to 11
Level 1: THE CUT
Everything starts with solid fundamentals. We’ll guide you through every step of the process as you master barbering’s 16 traditional cuts, including precision cuts and clipper cuts. As you become familiar with each cut’s individual elements, you’ll learn how to combine them to create any style, and achieve the knowledge required to create the right look for each and every client. Today’s styles include the fade, the pompadour and the gentleman’s cut, which you’ll be creating on real models as you hone your technique to perfection.
Level 2: THE SHAVE
The straight razor shave delivers more than just a clean face. Performed expertly, a great shave is a timeless relaxation ritual and the apex of personal grooming. Through the advice, support and supervision of our expert instructors, you’ll acquire the knowledge, the technique and the confidence to craft the ultimate experience for your clients. That means developing and perfecting your straight razor and modern shaving tool skills. These key techniques will be paired with an ability to prepare and care for every skin type before and after the shave, and help you foster the creativity to design and shape beards and moustaches that suit an individual’s facial structure and personal style.
Level 3: THE SCIENCE (Skin and Scalp Care)
Every skin and scalp requires unique care, and top professional barbers can do more than simply recognize and point out problems. You’ll leave our Professional Barbering Foundations Program with an extensive knowledge of skin conditions and the science behind one of our most important organs – meaning that you’ll be able to recommend moisturizers, aftershaves and astringents for every client, treating and maintaining healthy scalps while arresting hair loss.
Level 4: THE STYLE (Blowdrying and Styling)
Your clients will leave your chair feeling their absolute best, because you’ll become the master of multiple blowdrying techniques – by brush, by comb, by hand and by diffuser – to ensure that those who seek out your services will want to follow you throughout your career. Taking your expertise beyond the barbershop, you’ll even be able to teach your clients blowdrying basics so they can achieve similar results at home.
Level 5: THE PURITY
Develop an unwavering commitment to keeping high standards in sanitation, hygiene, decontamination, disinfection, sterilization and important safe work practices. As a graduate of the Foundations Program, you can be confident that you’ll offer impeccable services and run an immaculate business. Breaking down the essential elements of bacteriology, you’ll learn how to keep your equipment pristine and your clients safe.
Level 6: THE PRODUCTS
With countless products available in our professional salon, Q&A, and stunning retail store, CurliQue, our expert instructors will cut through the confusion so you can recommend perfect styling solutions for every client. Understanding how to get the ideal result from each product and being able to confidently identify the right solutions for problem skin and hair will ensure that your creations will look great on clients, weeks after you’ve worked on them.
Our students use luxe brands, popular products and cult lines like Oribe, Goldwell, Kevin Murphy, Sachajuan, Joico, and bumble & bumble. For skincare, brands include Dermalogica, Indie Lee, Antipodes and The Ordinary.
Level 7: THE CLIENTS
Your creativity will get clients into your chair, but it’s how you treat them that will keep them coming back. Through instruction in the classroom and face-to-face practice with real clients at our student-run salon, Q&A, you’ll acquire the skills and learn the routines necessary to ensure that your clients receive complete service: from making them feel welcome as they step through your door to teaching them how to maintain their style at home. As a barber, you are your own advocate and marketing team, which makes learning the art of client-building and client retention as essential as the cut and shave. Our industry experts will ensure you have the personal skills to keep your chair continuously occupied.
Level 8: THE COLOUR
Every professional barber is an artist. A professional colourist needs to be a great chemist too. Every head of hair is genetically unique, and there’s a detailed science behind ensuring every client receives the colour they’re looking for, be it natural looks, grey coverage or eye-popping tones guaranteed to make them stand out in a crowd. We’ll introduce you the products, science, technique and creativity of colouring hair.
Level 9: THE STENCIL
Ever wonder how high-end barbers are able to use clippers to create amazingly intricate designs on clients’ heads? Become a stencilling expert (sometimes called hair tattoos) and make the impossible possible. Once you’ve mastered the techniques, this is your opportunity to let your creativity run riot.
Level 10: THE SHOP
Confidence in your ability to satisfy clients is one thing; starting and running a successful hair business is another. The program will impart the basic business skills you’ll need to operate as an entrepreneur and a professional – whether it’s conducting a great job interview, renting a chair and operating as an independent, or opening a fully-functioning barbershop of your own. Sound daunting? It won’t be after our industry experts break down every step.
Level 11: THE WORK EXPERIENCE
For the final 120 hours of the Full-time Pro Barbering program, students are placed in a professional Barbershop or Hair Salon for an onsite work experience. The Blanche Macdonald Centre has a partnership with over 30 vetted Barbershops and 100 Hair Salons that have been approved to host the Barbering Work Experience. This is an excellent way for our Barbering students to gain industry connections, additional skills, experience and access to job opportunities.
The college reserves the right to change course offerings, course content, kit contents, facilities, faculty, tuition fees, and course schedules without notice.
There are two Program options available:
A. PROFESSIONAL BARBERING FOUNDATIONS PROGRAM
Part-time Diploma program
Total of 250 hours, 3 scheduling options:
Option 1 — 3 days per week schedule (20 hours per week for 12.5 weeks)
Option 2 — 1.5 days per week schedule (12.5 hours per week for 20 weeks)
Option 3 — 1 day per week schedule (8 hours per week for 33 weeks)
Canada Student Loan funding is available for those who qualify. As of 2019, the BC portion of Student loans is now interest free.
Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada: the lowest Tuition payment plan option is $4,600 for the entire program length. Various payment plans available.
Professional Barbering Kit is $2,250 plus applicable taxes.
Following your program acceptance, the following fee payments totaling $950 (exclusive of tuition) are required on the day of enrollment:
1. An assessment fee of $150
2. A non-refundable registration fee of $250
3. An administrative fee of $550
Once you have been accepted into the Professional Barbering Foundations Program, a non-refundable registration fee, administration fee, an assessment fee and an initial tuition payment are required in order to secure your place in the program. All tuition and kit costs are listed in Canadian dollars (CAD). For all payment options, a postdated cheque or pre-authorized credit card must be provided on the first day of class.
Student Loans for BC students who are without dependents, for those who quality, can receive a maximum of $320 per week. For a 24 week program this is $320 x 24 = $7680 in Student Loan funding.
Student Loan funding amounts can vary from each province. If you are applying from another province, please check with your province regarding funding estimates. Some other provinces may also have additional grants and larger student loan estimates to help offset costs.
B. PROFESSIONAL BARBERING PROGRAM
Full-time Diploma program
Duration: 25 weeks; 600 hours
3 days per week schedule (24 hours per week)
Canada Student Loan funding is available for those who qualify. As of 2019, the BC portion of Student loans is now interest free.
Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada: the lowest Tuition payment plan option is $7,500 for the entire program length. Various payment plans available.
Professional Barbering Kit is $2,250 plus applicable taxes.
Following your program acceptance, the following fee payments totaling $950 (exclusive of tuition) are required on the day of enrollment:
1. An assessment fee of $150
2. A non-refundable registration fee of $250
3. An administrative fee of $550
The Barbering 600 hour program is designated for Student Loan funding.
For students who qualify for Student Loan funding, each province allocates different amounts for Student Loan funding.
In BC, students who qualify who do not have dependents, can receive up to $320 per week. For a 25 week program x $320, the maximum funding would be $8000. In BC, students who qualify, who do have dependents receive a higher amount of funding per week.
Tuition Grants may be available for specific programs and start dates. Please ask your Admissions Advisor about any available Tuition Grants.
Class sizes are very limited. Early registration is required to guarantee a seat in a class.
To learn more about our various payment plan options and upcoming start dates, please fill out our info-request form or connect with your Admissions Advisor.
Making an Application is simple and easy. This is our way of getting to know you. Please fill out the Application form and then an Admissions Director will arrange a time to connect with you. This is a wonderful way for us to share information and insights about the program, the industry, career development, job opportunities, potential tuition grants and financial aid options. And this is our time to learn about you, what your career goals are, what you would like to achieve with your career training, what questions and concerns we can help you with. There is no enrolment deposit made until you have been formally accepted into the program. Please submit your Application here.
Phil Loiselle
With several decades as an experienced stylist and educator, Phil has trained over one thousand Hair professionals. He has been instrumental in mentoring many award winners and top notch hairstylists across Canada and in North America. With his roots in London, England, he spent several years in the Middle East, and eventually made his way to Canada where he has made a significant impact and contribution to the hair industry. Affectionately known to our students as “Papa Phil”, he has a generous spirit, a kind hearted manner and an absolute commitment to helping each person succeed and to do their best. With his leadership, Blanche Macdonald has earned a stellar reputation and is widely regarded as Canada’s #1 Hair school. Phil has personally created a network of several hundred salons that continue to hire our students and graduates for internships and permanent professional placement.
Sandra Perovic
Adding to her many awards and accolades, Sandra is the Canadian Winner of the 2019 American Crew All Star Challenge. American Crew, is widely considered to be the original barber brand. The competition recognizes the barber with the best superior technique, artistry, passion and originality. She is also a duo Winner of the Canadian Hairdresser Magazine’s Mirror Award for Best Men’s Cut and Style and Best Day to Night Look. She was also recognized by the prestigious Contessa Awards as one of North America’s Top Five newcomers. In addition to her teaching role in the Barbering and Pro Hair programs at Blanche Macdonald, she is perfecting her craft at Sigma Barber Studio in Vancouver.
