VTCT Skills Level 3 Diploma in Women’s Hairdressing

If you enjoy hairdressing and would like to develop your skills to an advanced level, learning how to correct colour and advanced cutting techniques, then the Level 3 Diploma in Hairdressing will stretch and challenge you.

Duration 1 year
Qualification Other
Start Date Tuesday 1st September 2026
Course Code V3HAIRD26P
A hairdresser dying a client's hair with observers.

Top Course Highlights

  • National Competitions
  • Transferable Skills
  • Inspiring tutors
  • Develop confidence
  • Work placement

Learn from sector experts

You will be taught by staff with extensive industry experience who will advance your knowledge and skills to meet the expectations of the hairdressing industry.

Develop work-related skills

During the programme, you will develop personal and employability skills which will help prepare you for full-time work after you have completed the qualification.

Enjoy professional surroundings

Our working hairdressing salons all contain the latest industry-standard equipment and resources.

WHY CHOOSE THIS COURSE?

This course will provide the knowledge and practical skills for you to develop and take forward into any area of the hairdressing industry. It will also help you to develop your skills in consultation with your client, communication and retailing within the salon environment. You will start off by learning the techniques and science for these advanced techniques. Since the start of Hairdressing at Penwith College, a high percentage of students have successfully gained employment within the industry, with many now running their own businesses. Level 3 students have represented the College in the UK World Skills Challenge, and many have competed in regional competitions gaining numerous medals, including Gold.

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

Your lessons will be held in a professional commercial salon environment, where you will practice your new skills on training heads and your peers in preparation for client services. During the course, you will have the opportunity to develop and research your understanding and knowledge on all aspects of hairdressing through practicals and case studies. You will discover the importance of English and maths skills and the important role they play in your everyday life, from timing services, mixing and measuring chemicals, reading manufacturer’s instructions and so on. You will look at how to adapt your communication techniques to meet a variety of social and cultural needs together with the essential retail techniques required to promote your success as a Hairdresser. This is a qualification that has been specifically designed by professionals in the Hair industry and will ensure you are fully prepared for employment.

You will have the opportunity to practice all of your new skills on training heads before carrying out the chosen techniques on clients in the salon. You will have the opportunity to research the knowledge behind all techniques, then show your understanding through case studies to support your practical skills and show your competence for each technique. You’ll be able to gain industrial experience by attending a Hairdressing Salon of your choice one day per week to support your College training.

WHERE WILL IT TAKE ME?

A qualification in Level 3 Women’s Hairdressing is highly valued by many companies and employers alike. A Diploma in Level 3 Women’s Hairdressing will also enable you to study at Level 4 and 5, or specialise in subjects such as a Theatrical, Special Effects and Hair or Media Make-Up.

Hairdressing Salons are many and varied. There are also lots of other places where a good hairdresser can work: leisure clubs and gyms, health and fitness clubs, spa industry, fashion/photographic industry, film/television/theatre, client’s homes, Trichologist, cruise liners, clinics and hospitals, residential homes, holiday resorts and hotels, department stores, teaching, product manufacturers and suppliers.

 

 

Your achievement in this subject is dependent upon excellent attendance, punctuality and effort. You will learn in a friendly atmosphere, using a variety of assessment methods:

  • Externally & internally marked practical assessments
  • An externally set & externally marked examinatio
  • An externally set and internally marked graded synoptic assessment
  • Discussions and presentations are a vital part of our assessment process and you will be expected to contribute to these.
  • You will review your own performance in 1:1 sessions with your tutor.
  • You will undertake mock examinations on each unit in advance of your final exams.
  • You will be formally examined on each unit that you study to test your practical competence and knowledge of the subject.
  • Students will have the potential to achieve an overall qualification grade of: Pass, Merit, Distinction, Distinction*
Three girls sit on a picnic bench and are chatting and laughing.
Course code: V3HAIRD26P
Duration 1 year
Qualification Other