Barber apprenticeships at risk In Wales: What it means for high streets and young workers

Barbershops have long been a fixture of Welsh high streets. From small independent shops in market towns to busy city-centre premises, they are community spaces as much as businesses, offering employment, training, and a visible entry point into skilled work.

But across Wales, questions are being raised about whether the next generation of barbers is coming through.

The UK hair and beauty sector is facing growing challenges around recruitment and apprenticeships, with fewer young people entering the trade and concerns mounting about long-term skills shortages. While this is an industry-wide issue across England and Wales, its impact is being felt locally by Welsh barbers trying to train and retain staff.

Apprenticeships have traditionally been the backbone of barbering. Learning on the shop floor, under the guidance of experienced professionals, has allowed young people to develop technical skills, confidence, and a direct route into employment. However, that model is now under pressure.

Barbers across Wales report fewer applicants for apprenticeship roles and a growing mismatch between expectations and reality. The profession requires long hours on your feet, strong customer skills, and a commitment to mastering a craft that takes years to refine. For some young people, those demands are not always clearly understood at the outset.

At the same time, independent barbershops face increasing costs and limited capacity to take on trainees.

Apprenticeships require supervision, time away from paying clients, and financial investment, which can be difficult for small businesses already navigating rising rents and operating costs.

Is barbering still an attractive career?

Despite these challenges, many in the industry stress that barbering remains a viable and rewarding career. It offers opportunities for self-employment, business ownership, creative expression, and long-term client relationships.

However, experienced barbers say trades are often undervalued compared with academic routes. University is still presented as the default option for many school leavers, while skilled professions like barbering receive less attention as credible career choices.

This shift risks closing off accessible pathways for young people who may thrive in practical, people-focused roles and prefer learning through doing rather than classroom-based education.

The consequences of a weakened training pipeline extend beyond individual businesses.

Barbershops are an essential part of the high street economy. Staff shortages can lead to reduced opening hours, longer waiting times, and fewer services, all of which affect footfall and local trade. Over time, the loss of skilled workers can undermine the character and resilience of town and city centres.

Barbering also plays a role in local employment ecosystems, often providing first jobs and flexible career options. When apprenticeship routes falter, those opportunities diminish.

Grassroots insights

Across Cardiff, experienced barbers say the profession remains a skilled and rewarding career, but the route into it is becoming less straightforward.

Capello Barbers, which operates several long-established barbershops throughout Cardiff, has seen firsthand how changes to apprenticeships and shifting attitudes towards trades are affecting recruitment and training.

With years of experience mentoring young barbers in Wales, the team says that while interest in barbering still exists, fewer people are entering the profession through structured, long-term pathways.

According to Alessandro Calliva, Creative Director at Capello Barbers, the issue is not a lack of opportunity, but the growing difficulty of accessing consistent training and support.

“Barbering is a skilled trade with real long-term career potential, but the route into the profession is harder to navigate than it once was. Apprenticeships and proper training pathways are essential if local barbershops are going to thrive and continue serving their communities.”

He adds that without renewed focus on training in Wales, the impact will be felt beyond individual businesses, affecting high streets and the availability of accessible career options for young people across Wales.

The future of barbering in Wales does not depend on demand. People will always need haircuts. What is at stake is whether the systems that support new entrants into the profession are fit for purpose.

Without sustained investment in apprenticeships, clearer training routes, and a cultural shift in how skilled trades are valued, Wales risks losing more than barbers. It risks losing local businesses, community spaces, and practical career pathways that have long supported young workers.

For now, the clippers are still buzzing. Whether the next generation is ready and able to pick them up remains an open question.