The Hairdressing Council is a statutory body set up through an Act of Parliament in 1964 to keep the register of qualified hairdressers.  The Act made this register voluntary at that time and the Hairdressing Council are now campaigning to get the act changed to a mandatory one.  The Goverment will listen to us once we have enough hairdressers backing the campaign by becoming registered themselves.  The Hairdressing Council is run by Sally Styles as Registrar and Chief Executive however there is a Council of 17 voluntary members who oversee the direction of Council. The objectives of the Council are to bring regulations into an industry that should be seen as a profession with respect and recognition.  Unfortunately whilst anyone, without a single day's training can call themselves a hairdresser, practise on the public with dangerous chemicals and show others how to be a hairdresser, it will never have the standards needed to be a true profession. Registration is available to individuals only who either have their NVQ qualifications or can prove they have been practising hairdressing for over six years.

 

The cost of becoming registered is £36 (dd) or £39 per year.  This is Councils only income.  Once a person is registered they join the campaign for registration, receive a quarterly magazine written specifically for registered hairdressers, receive free publicity on the Council website www.haircouncil.org.uk where members of the public can look up their nearest registered hairdresser.  They receive a great discounted insurance with Jardine Lloyd Thompson who, in over 10 years, we have never had a complaint against.  They get a dedicated advice line and the opportunity to become a Master Craftsman after having been registered for two years and also the chance to take afternoon tea in the House of Commons where they will meet MPs and celebrity hairdressers.    There are promotional products they can purchase to promote themselves as registered to the public.  There are many high profile hairdressers supporting the campaign and who are regsitered including  Andrew Barton, Trevor Sorbie, Andrew Collinge, Patrick Cameron, Akin Konizi, Beverly C, Antoinette Beenders, Anthony Mascolo, Angelo Seminara, Mark Hayes, Errol Douglas, Terry Calvert, Richard Ward, Lisa Shepherd, John Frieda and Steven Goldsworthy. To become a State Registered hairdresser is easy, you can either visit www.haircouncil.org.uk and register on line and either scanning proof of qualifications or a letter confirming hairdressing experience of 6 years or over or phone 020 8760 7010 and an application form will be sent that same day. 

 

All the major manufacturers support the campaign for registration as do other industry organizations including VTCT.  VTCT not only support the campaign for registration by actually registering their internal and external verifiers but have also supported the UK Student of the Year Awards by providing bursaries for those who entered at Level 2 NVQ and wanted to progress to Level 3 NVQ but were unable to afford the fees.  The Council had written requests from learners explaining why the fees were not being paid by a grant and a number of colleges really benefited from this generosity. It also encouraged learners to progress onto Level 3 who may not have been able to do so otherwise - helping to raise the standards within the industry.   The Hairdressing Council would like to thank VTCT for all their support.