At Vancouver Community College in Vancouver, Canada, Hairstylist Certificate is offered as a foundation in Trades programme. The programme runs for 10 months, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 22,467 per total (CAD 8,200 per total for local students).
This certificate programme trains students in the full range of professional hairstyling services without requiring prior trade registration or an employer sponsor. Delivered full-time at VCC's Downtown campus over 10 months, organized into three sequential courses totalling 41 credits, the programme runs five intakes a year, in January, March, May, September, and October, with a maximum completion window of two years. Classes meet on a Monday-to-Wednesday or Thursday-to-Saturday schedule with additional weekly asynchronous online coursework. Students learn shampooing, conditioning, and scalp massage services, elevated and non-elevated haircutting, colour and lightening application, and permanent waving techniques, alongside salon business management skills, gaining hands-on experience serving real clients in VCC's on-site salon and spa. The programme is designed to meet the training objectives established by SkilledTradesBC for the hairstyling trade, preparing graduates to work as practising hairstylists. It suits individuals interested in a salon career who have not yet secured an apprenticeship placement and want to complete foundational and technical training before or instead of an employer-sponsored apprenticeship route. Suitable candidates have strong communication skills, manual dexterity, good colour vision, and the physical stamina to stand for extended periods during a working day.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Academic entry requires English 10 or equivalent; applicants who do not meet this may still be admitted based on an interview with the department leader or a representative. No IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, Duolingo or CAEL score is stated. General conditions: Canadian citizen or permanent resident, aged 16 or older or a secondary-school graduate, official transcripts and other required documents submitted, with seats offered to eligible applicants in order of completed application. The program expects interpersonal and customer-service communication skills, good hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity, normal colour vision and depth perception, and the ability to stand for extended periods; it notes that asthma, respiratory conditions, skin conditions and eczema may be present in this career. A Criminal Record Check may be required where courses are scheduled at off-site locations, and Indigenous applicants are encouraged to contact VCC's Indigenous Education team for support.
Application Details
Start Date:January, March, May, September and October intakes. VCC's academic year runs in three terms: Winter (January to April), Spring/Summer (May to August) and Fall (September to December).
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants (Canadian citizens and permanent residents) apply through EducationPlannerBC. VCC publishes this programme's windows term by term on its When to Apply page: Winter 2027 term — open 1 February 2026, close 1 October 2026; Spring/Summer 2027 term — open 1 June 2026, close 1 February 2027; Fall 2027 term — open 1 October 2026, close 1 June 2027. Seats go to eligible applicants in the order their applications are completed, so the programme can close before the listed end date once it fills. VCC's page for this programme states it is open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, and points international students to VCC International, which lists separately the programmes and intakes open to them; there the application periods open on 1 February, 1 June and 1 October of the previous year for the Winter, Spring/Summer and Fall terms, with no fixed closing date — a programme accepts applications until roughly three to four months before classes begin, or until its seats are gone.
