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Hair Courses at DCG

There’s nothing better than making people feel good about themselves. If you have an eye for style, creativity and a dedication to customer service, Derby College can put you on the pathway to a great career in the hair industry.

A future that’s looking good

Skilled hair stylists and barbers find rewarding roles in many settings – high street salons, holiday resorts, cruise ships, hospitals, film and television sets and fashion shoots.

Derby College caters for everyone from those just starting out in the industry to experienced professionals who want to perfect advanced techniques. Many salons work with us to train their apprentices too.

Is this you?

  • Good practical skills
  • Creativity
  • An awareness of fashion
  • A willingness to learn new techniques and methods
  • Customer service and people skills
  • The ability to make people feel relaxed
  • An understanding and tactful approach
  • Listening and communication skills
  • An interest in business and the ability to sell products
  • An awareness of health and safety issues

Getting into Hair

  • Full time at College There is a wide range of full-time Hair and Beauty courses offered at Derby College, with different starting points depending on your GCSE results.
  • Apprenticeships These are available through Derby College for roles in hairdressing, barbering and beauty therapy. For some apprenticeships, you might need GCSEs or Functional Skills in English and Maths.
  • Higher education You could develop your career by completing higher qualifications, such as a foundation degree, HNC, HND or degree. These normally incorporate further specialist skills with training in salon management. There are also courses which combine hairdressing with fashion and makeup, aimed at those wishing to work in theatre, film and TV.
  • Jobs You can start work as a trainee hairdresser in a salon and learn on the job. To become a qualified beauty therapist, you would normally need to complete an advanced Beauty Therapy qualification. However, you can start working in a salon or spa as an assistant and study for qualifications on the job. As well as roles in high street salons, there are opportunities for skilled professionals to work in areas that include cruise ships, military bases, film and television sets, fashion shows, spas, health farms and holiday resorts.
good evening everyone welcome to the DCG

information evening I’m here to talk to

you tonight about the hairdressing

courses we offer here at the Roundhouse

first let me give you a bit of

background knowledge about the college

to put everything into perspective so

we’re made for four campuses including

the Roundhouse where your students will

take place the Joseph rice Center

Broomfield hall and Ilkeston all

together these make up the Darby College

Group aka DCG we have a multitude of

support areas available to every student

at DCG from the moment we meet you right

up until you complete your study program

and they’re deciding on your next steps

whether you still need to gain your

maths and English GSF C’s or if you are

looking for top quality work experience

to help gain valuable industry knowledge

we will offer you a tailored support to

suit your individual needs as you will

see DCG has invested in first-class

industry standard equipment we will do

everything we can to help and support

you during your time here this has been

recognized by Ofsted who have graded us

as a good provider which is the second

highest rating available to schools and

colleges another fantastic asset we have

at DCA is our innovative employer

academies they help our students gain

valuable work experience create industry

contacts and really bring to life the

college learning experience we work with

a variety of hair and beauty employees

Sallie Montagu Robert Ashley hair angels

and ragdale hall our students are at the

heart of everything we do our inclusion

support service DCG is here to help you

maximize your potential and reach your

learning goals whatever learning

difficulty or disability you may have

we offer tailor-made support to match

your individual needs we work in

partnership with teaching staff other

internal services and external

organisations to provide a

person-centered approach we have teamed

up with career coach which is designed

to help you find a good career by

providing the most current local data on

wages

employment job postings and associated

education and training here is an

example of the data relevant to

hairdressers and barbers but you can

find your own search on a role that is

relevant to your goals directly from the

careers coach link on our website head

over to the careers and courses section

of the website and select career coach

from here you can easily browse or

search for the available courses at the

college that lead to the career you want

here is a breakdown of each of our

hairdressing courses at the college we

cover a wide variety of units within the

courses if you would like more

information have a look at our course

use all courses are aimed to prepare you

for work and you will undertake a

variety of topics within our salons the

mission of the Derby college group is to

predict and serve the needs of our

business and civic communities we are

committed to working in partnership with

employers to co-create talent for the

success of the region generate new jobs

increase social mobility and bolster

economic prosperity we are therefore

always working hard on securing the best

most relevant employee partnerships to

help support our students here is an

example of a few of our hair and Beauty

employer partners Sallie Montague Robert

Ashley hair angels and ragdale hall

timetables will be given out within the

hair and beauty department you will have

Theory written work and tests to

complete alongside many sessions within

our salons ready to prepare you fully

for industry if there is a requirement

for maths and English you will also be

timetabled for that alongside tutorial

sessions work experience is also a

valuable part of the program and will be

timetabled in for you there will be a

requirement for every student to

purchase a uniform and equipment

bursaries are available in some cases

Derby College has a significant impact

on many individuals businesses and the

wider community we are committed to

producing a talent pool equipped with

the right skills and attributes to meet

the needs of the employer we are proud

to contribute to weaken

growth and social prosperity by guiding

people onto learning pathways that lead

to positive destinations we encourage

progress and aspirational outcomes many

of our students have gone on to achieve

great things since leaving the college

and here are a few examples of the many

aspiration stories we have to share with

you please feel free to have a look at

our course sheets which will give you

more specific information on each

individual course or head back to the

virtual events homepage we have a

detailed step-by-step guide on how to

apply which you can access either from

our website or in our prospectus

here is the summarized breakdown of the

steps you can expect to take during the

application process with DCG you may

wish to contact student services for

advice and guidance on courses



Hair – Course Listings

Course Type: Adult and Community
Location: The Roundhouse
Start Date: 23/04/2025

Course Type: Apprenticeships
Location: The Roundhouse

Course Type: Apprenticeships
Location: The Roundhouse

Course Type: School Leaver - Vocational/Technical
Location: The Roundhouse

Course Type: School Leaver - Vocational/Technical
Location: The Roundhouse

Course Type: School Leaver - Vocational/Technical
Location: The Roundhouse
Start Date: 10/09/2025

Course Type: School Leaver - Vocational/Technical
Location: The Roundhouse

Course Type: School Leaver - Vocational/Technical
Location: The Roundhouse

Course Type: School Leaver - Vocational/Technical
Location: The Roundhouse

Course Type: School Leaver - Vocational/Technical
Location: Offsite

Course Type: School Leaver - Vocational/Technical
Location: The Roundhouse

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The Roundhouse Open Evening – 13/02/2025

Hudson BuildingJohnson BuildingThe Roundhouse
13-02-2025

Key Information

At Derby College we believe the best tutors are usually those who have real world experience of working in the field they’re teaching. So, in most cases, you’ll be taught by someone who has worked in the industry that you wish to enter. As well as being able to share their knowledge and experiences with you, they have crucial industry connections, which is a huge benefit when it comes to helping you to secure a work placement in your chosen field.

As part of your studies at Derby College we offer a full range of assistance to ensure you have a great learning experience.

Discover our campuses and facilities here. Each campus page contains:

  • 360-degree images of our facilities
  • A location map
  • A list of courses that are run at the campus
  • Student Success Stories

To find out more about our Hair courses, attend our next course and career event or contact us on 0800 028 0289

Press the Apply Now button, that can be found at the top and bottom of every course information page and follow the instructions for the InTouch applications portal.

If you are unable to apply online, contact Student Services who will help you complete your application form and will be able to help and guide you to make a decision on the course of study to meet your needs and ambitions.

Related Careers

 

Hair – Success Stories

Morgan Richmond

Apprenticeship

Female hairdresser brushing blonde hair extensions.

Joe Pegg

Apprenticeship

Male barber giving a male client with a beard a haircut.

Tia Lambourn

Apprenticeship

Former DCG Hair apprentice Tia Lambourn.

Leah Hurren

Apprenticeship

Former DCG Hair student Leah Hurren.

Charlie Woodcock

School Leaver Vocational

Charlie Woodcock straightening a client's hair

Aaron Ledster

School Leaver Vocational

Aaron Ledster at barbers Knight & Co

Marissa Hunt

School Leaver Vocational

Marissa Hunt at her salon

View all DCG Success Stories all role models

360 Tour