Do you need a barber licence in Alberta?

Who regulates barbers in Alberta?

Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training (under the Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship Education Act) runs both trades. Barber and Hairstylist are both on Alberta’s compulsory certification trades list, which means a person performing the restricted activities must be a registered apprentice under a certified journeyperson, a certified journeyperson, or the holder of a recognized trade certificate.

How do you get certified as a barber in Alberta?

The Barber (0425) apprenticeship is one period of 1,450 hours of work experience plus 10 weeks of classroom instruction, about a year in total, finished with a theory exam. Barbers who already have the experience can use the trades qualifier route instead.

• Barber apprenticeship: 1 period, 1,450 hours of work experience, 10 weeks of classroom instruction, theory exam.
• Barber trades qualifier: 18 months and 2,175 hours of verifiable work experience, then a theory exam and a practical exam ($75).
• Hairstylist (0424) apprenticeship: 2 periods, each 1,450 hours of work experience plus 10 weeks of classroom instruction, with the Red Seal exam available in the final period.
• Hairstylist trades qualifier: 36 months and 4,350 hours of verifiable work experience, then theory and practical exams ($75 practical).
• Hairstylist ratio: an employer may employ two apprentices for every assigned mentor.

Is a barber different from a hairstylist in Alberta?

Yes, and Alberta is the only province where that is true in the trades system. The Barber trade covers cutting and styling hair and shaving, trimming and shaping beards and moustaches. The Hairstylist (0424) trade is twice as long and is the Red Seal trade; barber is not a Red Seal trade anywhere in Canada.

The practical difference for a shop owner: a certified Alberta barber can work the chair, but a barber planning to move provinces gets more portability from the Red Seal hairstylist certificate.

Can an out-of-province barber work in Alberta?

Yes, at once. A barber holding a trade certificate that Alberta recognizes may work the full scope of the trade in Alberta immediately, with no registration, exam or training. The Trades Qualifier – Recognized Credential route — a theory exam plus a $75 practical exam — is optional, for someone who also wants an Alberta journeyperson certificate, for example to write the Red Seal as a hairstylist.

If the credential is not on Alberta’s recognized list — likely for an association-issued NSRBA or NBRBA barber licence, so check it on the tradesecrets lookup first — the barber registers as an apprentice or uses the work-experience trades qualifier route on the Barber page: 18 months and 2,175 hours of verifiable experience, then the theory and practical exams.

What else does an Alberta barbershop need?

Alberta’s Personal Services Regulation (Alberta Regulation 1/2020) covers barbering and haircutting, and a business must notify Alberta Health Services before offering a personal service to the public. Business licences are municipal.