Clwydian Academy · CBC

Fees & funding

Clear prices. Real routes. Nothing hidden.

There are four genuine ways to fund your training here — from a fully funded apprenticeship to our own interest-free instalment plan. We check which one you qualify for, honestly, before you commit to anything.

Route one · Apprenticeships

Earn while you train — fully funded.

  • Training costs you £0 — the Welsh Government funds apprenticeship training in full, at any age
  • Your employer pays your wage — never your course
  • Employed in a salon — at least 16 hours a week of combined work and training; at Level 3, self-employed stylists can also qualify under additional criteria
  • Runs at the apprenticeship’s own pace — typically around 15–18 months per level, alongside your job

Already working in a salon — or a salon wants to take you on? The apprenticeship is the strongest-funded route into this trade, and the academy carries the training and assessment so your salon doesn’t have to. How our apprenticeships work →

NVQ Level 2 Hairdressing
£4,500 all-in Kit, VTCT registration & Commercial Resilience Module included
NVQ Level 2 Barbering
£4,500 all-in Kit, registration & commercial module included
NVQ Level 3 Hairdressing
£4,500 all-in Progression bundle: Level 2 + Level 3 for £7,900
CPD masterclasses
£150–£295 a day Relaxing & Smoothing programme £695 · Skin Cancer Awareness £195
Fair Access Plan
£500 deposit + £500 × 8 Totals the £4,500 fee exactly · interest-free · a fair affordability conversation first · instalments stop if you withdraw
£4,500all-in — the same price as the most credible VTCT fast-track provider in the North West, with kit and registration included, and £5,000–£13,000 under comparable London academies.

Three more real routes

Not employed in a salon? You still have options.

Route two · ReAct+ support

Up to £1,500 towards your fee. The Welsh Government’s redundancy retraining scheme, for Wales-resident adults 20+ under formal notice of redundancy, made redundant in the last six months, or ex-offenders (including offenders serving community sentences) — applied for through a Working Wales adviser, with extra help for childcare and travel. It leaves £3,000, payable as a £500 deposit and five £500 instalments, interest-free. You must live in Wales to apply; we’ll walk you through the adviser conversation.

Route three · Employer sponsored

£3,950, invoiced to your salon. Many salons would rather sponsor a six-month fast-track than carry a multi-year training wage. Your employer pays a sponsored rate, you train two days a fortnight around the job, and they get a qualified stylist this year — not in two. For salons →

Route four · The Fair Access Plan

Self-funded, without debt traps. £500 secures your seat; the balance is eight monthly instalments of £500 — £4,500 all-in, exactly the course fee — interest-free, in-house, no third-party lender, no credit checks. A short affordability conversation first, and instalments stop if you withdraw. No interest, ever.

A straight answer on the Personal Learning Account

You may have read that the Welsh Government’s Personal Learning Account pays course fees for adults in Wales. It’s a real and generous scheme — but today it funds courses in the Welsh Government’s priority sectors, delivered through the further-education colleges, and hairdressing is not currently on that list. That means no private academy can honestly offer PLA-funded hairdressing places — including us. We are making the industry’s case for hairdressing’s inclusion, and if the rules change, this page will say so the same week. Until then, the four routes above are the real ones — checked, current, and available.

How funding works

Three steps between you and a funded place.

1 · Register interest

Tell us about yourself. We’ll give you an honest early read on which route fits — apprenticeship, ReAct+, employer sponsorship or the Fair Access Plan — usually within one conversation.

2 · We find your route

We check eligibility with you and handle the paperwork — with Working Wales for ReAct+, or with your salon for the apprenticeship and sponsored routes — so forms never become the reason you didn’t retrain.

3 · You start with a clear plan

Funded route confirmed, or instalments agreed, before you commit to anything. No interest, no hidden charges, and instalments stop if you withdraw. What we promise on this page is what happens.

Questions, answered

Funding FAQs

Is hairdressing training really free in Wales?
It can be — through the right route. Apprentices pay nothing: if you’re employed in a salon for at least 16 hours a week of combined work and training, the Welsh Government funds your training in full and your employer pays only your wage (at Level 3, self-employed stylists can also qualify under additional criteria). Eligible adults can also bring up to £1,500 of ReAct+ support towards a fast-track course. The Personal Learning Account doesn’t currently cover hairdressing — so nobody can honestly offer you a PLA-funded hairdressing place, and we’d rather tell you that plainly and find the route you do qualify for.
Can I do my NVQ as an apprenticeship?
Yes — if you’re employed in a salon for at least 16 hours a week of combined work and training. Welsh apprenticeships are fully funded at any age: the Welsh Government pays for the training, your employer pays your wage, and the programme runs at its own pace — typically around 15–18 months per level — rather than the six-month fast-track. (Self-employed apprenticeships exist at Level 3 and above only, under additional Medr criteria — ask us.) Register your interest and we’ll help you and your salon set it up.
What is ReAct+ and am I eligible?
ReAct+ is the Welsh Government’s redundancy retraining scheme, applied for through a Working Wales careers adviser. If you live in Wales, are aged 20 or over, and are under formal notice of redundancy, were made redundant in the last six months, or are an ex-offender or an offender serving a community sentence, it can contribute up to £1,500 towards vocational training fees — with extra support available for childcare and travel. Against our £4,500 course that leaves £3,000, payable as a £500 deposit and five interest-free instalments of £500. We’ll walk you through the adviser conversation step by step.
How does the Fair Access Plan work?
A £500 deposit secures your seat, and the balance is paid as eight monthly instalments of £500 while you train — £4,500 in total, exactly the course fee — interest-free, in-house, with no third-party lender and no credit checks. We hold a short affordability conversation before you enrol, and instalments stop if you withdraw. No fees, no interest, ever.
I live in England — can I still train at Clwydian Academy?
Absolutely. The academy sits in St Asaph, Denbighshire, just off the A55 — an easy drive from Chester, the coast and the border counties — and self-funded places are £4,500 all-in, with your kit, VTCT registration and the Commercial Resilience Module included: the same price as the most credible VTCT fast-track provider in the North West, and £5,000–£13,000 under comparable London academies.
How long does it take to qualify?
Six months on the fast-track. Cohorts train in intensive two-day academy blocks each fortnight at St Asaph, with theory and structured home practice through our digital learning environment around your life — compared with around two years on a traditional route. Funded apprenticeships run at the apprenticeship programme’s own pace, around 15 months per level.
What qualification do I leave with?
Courses lead to nationally recognised VTCT-standard NVQ qualifications at Level 2 or Level 3. VTCT is the UK’s leading awarding body for hair and beauty; our VTCT Approved Centre application is in progress ahead of the founding cohort, and every course also includes the Commercial Resilience Module covering the business skills of self-employment.
When does the first cohort start?
Founding-cohort recruitment opens in late 2026, with training beginning in early 2027. Places run in cohorts of ten, so registering interest early secures your place in the queue.

Find out where you stand — in one email.

Register interest and we’ll give you a clear, personal answer on funding before you decide anything.

Register interest →