Updates.
At MEKK Barbershop, Ancoats, we offer barber training programmes for new barbers looking to become more confident, or established barbers looking to diversify their skills in the setting of a busy Manchester barbershop. Our education programmes focus on practical training, rather than theory alone, because we believe that hands-on experience under the guidance and support of our barbers is where real progress is made.
One of the key educators at MEKK is Kevin Mitchell, an established barber and founder of MEKK Studios. Through Kevin Mitchell Education, learners can access practical barber training that has been developed inside a working barbershop, using real-world techniques, professional workflows and experience gained from working with clients every day
Our education programmes are thorough, teaching you not just how to copy a haircut from a tutorial, but how to understand why you’re making each decision, build control over your tools and develop the confidence to work with different clients and hair types.
Kevin Mitchell Barber Education is the barbering education programmecreated by Kevin Mitchell. It is designed to help aspiring, self-taught and working barbers develop practical skills and confidence behind the chair. Rather than focusing purely on theory or isolated online tutorials, the training is built around the realities of working in a professional barbershop.
The motivation behind creating Kevin Mitchell Barber Education was based on two realisations:
Many barbering courses rely heavily on theory and don’t include enough practical work, which results in underdeveloped experience.
There’s a lack of barbershops offering proficient Afro and textured hair services, leaving so many underserved.
Therefore, Kevin created the barber training programme to support barbers with general and specialised cutting techniques with practical, experience-led training.
The course has been specifically designed to support barbers at every stage of their development.
Below are the core topics covered in the course:
Tools, Hygiene and Safe Setup:
Before developing advanced cutting techniques, you need to understand your equipment. The course begins by covering clippers, trimmers, shavers, guards, blades, scissors and combs, alongside sanitation, draping and professional workstation habits. Understanding what each tool does and why you are using it gives you greater control over the haircut and creates a stronger foundation for developing your technique.
Consultation and Understanding the Client
One of the most important parts of professional barbering is learning how to understand the person sitting in your chair. Their hairline, density, growth patterns, head shape and desired style all need to be considered before deciding how to approach the haircut. This is where barbering becomes a technical skill. The same haircut technique will not necessarily produce the same result on every client. Learning how to assess the individual in front of you allows you to make better decisions and deliver a more personalised service.
Understanding the Tools and Techniques of Barbering:
Once you understand your tools, workstation and the importance of a thorough consultation, the next step is learning how to use your equipment with purpose and control. Kevin Mitchell Education covers a broad range of barbering techniques, from clipper work, fading and blending to scissor cutting, shape-ups, line-ups and detailing. You’ll learn how to work with clippers, trimmers, shavers, guards, blades, scissors and combs, understanding not only what each tool does, but when and how to use it.
The training also explores techniques such as guideline creation, lever control, sectioning, weight removal and shaping, helping you understand how different approaches can be adapted to the individual client. The focus is on understanding the principles behind each cut, practising them repeatedly and developing the control to make confident decisions across different hair types, textures, densities and head shapes.
Afro Hair and Different Hair Textures:
After understanding the foundations of each cut, Kevin Mitchell Barber Education teaches barbers to become more confident and skilled at working with Afro hair and different hair textures. For many barbers, Afro hair education is an area where they have had limited structured training. This can leave otherwise capable barbers feeling unsure about working with coils, curls, shrinkage, density and different growth patterns.
Through Kevin Mitchell Education, barbers can develop a more structured approach to working with coils, curls and textured hair, learning how to assess the client’s hair before choosing the right tools and techniques.
The training programme begins by understanding how texture behaves and adapting your approach to the individual client to create more consistent results while offering a professional service to clients who may have previously struggled to find a barber confident in working with their hair.
After understanding the hair behaviours, the course then covers areas such as preparation and detangling, sectioning, clipper work, fading, shape-ups and line-ups, as well as understanding how to create shape and manage shrinkage without losing control of the finished result. The aim is to give barbers the knowledge and practical confidence to work across a wider range of Afro and textured hair types, rather than relying on assumptions or treating every head of hair in the same way.
Every client deserves to feel confident that their barber understands their hair, and for barbers, developing this knowledge can open up the range of clients they feel comfortable serving. Instead of turning away clients because a particular hair type falls outside their experience, this training gives you the opportunity to build the skills and confidence to work with them professionally.
Kevin Mitchell Education combines structured online learning and practical 1-1 application over 10 weeks. The course has been designed to give barbers an efficient route through barbering education, combining important theory that can be completed in your own time and practical sessions to apply the knowledge.
Each learner receives detailed online tutorials and quizzes to learn the theory at home, and each week is invited to MEKK Studios in Ancoats, Manchester, to practise their skills with Kevin. The online component of the course is delivered through the learning platform Podia.
Each barber becomes a part of a barbering community, which is a space to learn, review your progress and continue building confidence alongside your education. The course has been designed to create a complete learning pathway, combining structured lessons, practical techniques, ongoing education and community support, with a certificate of completion at the end of the training.
Every successful barbershop relies on excellent barbering skills, professional standards and positive customer experiences, so investing in your own development is a strong place to begin.
By building confidence across different cutting techniques, hair types and textures, you can broaden the services you are able to offer and become better prepared for the demands of working behind the chair. Developing these skills can also help you build a stronger portfolio, establish your own style and create the foundations for a long-term career in barbering, whether that means joining an established barbershop or eventually building a business of your own.
Here are some reviews from barbers who have completed the programme:
“As a mobile barber, I was quietly turning down Afro hair clients because I wasn’t confident. After this course, I took on a full natural fro reshape and nailed it. That client now refers his whole crew to me. The course paid for itself after 2 haircuts. Mad!” - Jay Okonkwo, Mobile Barber – London
“Six years in and I still felt lost with 4C hair. This course taught me how to read curl patterns and work with shrinkage properly. Within two weeks, I was offering natural hair treatments I’d never attempted before.” - Marcus T, Barber – Birmingham
“I trained on straight hair and nobody covered textured techniques. The section on blow-drying for stretch and fading coily hair was worth the price alone. My confidence behind the chair is on a completely different level.” - Jia Seo-yeon
MEKK Studios has built a reputation around an outstanding standard of barbering and a welcoming community atmosphere, which sits at the heart of the Kevin Mitchell Barber Education.
Whether you’re looking to learn barbering from the beginning, you’re a self-taught barber who wants more structure, or you’re an experienced barber looking to increase your confidence and expand the clients you can work with, this programme can help you take the next step.
Click here to find out more information, or simply pop into MEKK Studios if you have any questions. We’re based in Ancoats, a short walk away from Manchester city centre, on 7 Lever St, Manchester M1 1FL. We’d love to support you with your barbering career.
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