The Hairdressing Trade Test Centre, Vereeniging

The Hairdressing Trade Test Centre in Arcon Park, Vereeniging is accredited by the QCTO both to train and to assess, which is an unusual combination and the reason it earns a place here. Its barbering offer is a short course called Men’s Barbering, and separately it runs the trade assessment leading to the Occupational Certificate in Hairdressing at NQF Level 4, SAQA ID 102497.

Read the entry requirement before anything else. The short courses, barbering included, are open to qualified hairdressers or to people with at least three years of salon experience. This is not a route into the trade from a standing start. It is a route for someone already cutting to add gents work and to be assessed on it.

The centre publishes its numbers, which is more than most South African providers do. QCTO accreditation is given as 07-QCTO/AC-TTC150323131621 for the occupational certificate and 300524085627 for legacy qualifications, Services SETA registration as RMAR636567552 and RMAR637902432, and NAMB as A/20192751 and M/2023/228. Every one of those can be checked against the awarding body rather than taken on trust.

One distinction is worth holding on to. The trade test route leads to a recognised national artisan qualification in hairdressing, and the Men’s Barbering short course does not. The short course is skills training with a centre certificate at the end of it. Fees are not published for either, so you will need to ask.