Dresser to wig and hairpiece maker
A dresser already meets 50% of what the wig and hairpiece maker role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
52/ 100
1 How much of what a wig and hairpiece maker is expected to do is already part of a dresser’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the wig and hairpiece maker role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A wig and hairpiece maker role treats 9 of its required skills as things a dresser already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt to artists' creative demands
- manage personal professional development
- prepare personal work environment
- translate artistic concepts to technical designs
- understand artistic concepts
- use personal protection equipment
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A wig and hairpiece maker role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a dresser background worth leading with.
- already held manage consumables stock management skills
- already held prepare personal work environment management skills
- already held understand artistic concepts communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held translate artistic concepts to technical designs communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held adapt to artists' creative demands communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held work with respect for own safety assisting and caring
All 12 carried skills, including the 9 the wig and hairpiece maker role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 14 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn decide on wig making process required
- still to learn maintain workshop space required
- still to learn meet deadlines required
- optional, not held manage technical resources stock optional
- optional, not held organise workshop space optional
- optional, not held plan workshop activity optional
- still to learn create wigs required
- optional, not held design make-up effects optional
- optional, not held develop the look of a production optional
- optional, not held support a designer in the developing process optional
- still to learn dye wigs required
- still to learn maintain theatre equipment required
- still to learn maintain wigs required
- still to learn keep up with trends required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a wig and hairpiece maker role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 create wigs practise this
- 02 decide on wig making process practise this
- 03 dye wigs practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 12 skills that carry over
- already held adapt to artists' creative demands skill
- already held manage personal professional development skill
- already held prepare personal work environment skill
- already held translate artistic concepts to technical designs skill
- already held understand artistic concepts skill
- already held use personal protection equipment skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
- already held work safely with chemicals skill
- already held work with respect for own safety skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held keep personal administration skill
- already held manage consumables stock skill
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held design make-up effects optional
- optional, not held develop the look of a production optional
- optional, not held manage technical resources stock optional
- optional, not held organise workshop space optional
- optional, not held plan workshop activity optional
- optional, not held support a designer in the developing process optional
14 held skills the wig and hairpiece maker role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise client on technical possibilities skill
- not needed by the target role assist with dressing skill
- not needed by the target role document your own practice skill
- not needed by the target role dress actors skill
- not needed by the target role history of fashion knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain costumes skill
- not needed by the target role perform costume changeovers skill
- not needed by the target role preset costumes skill
- not needed by the target role prevent fire in a performance environment skill
- not needed by the target role safeguard artistic quality of performance skill
- not needed by the target role standard sizing systems for clothing knowledge
- not needed by the target role wash costumes skill
- not needed by the target role work safely with machines skill
- not needed by the target role work safely with mobile electrical systems under supervision skill
Common questions about this move
Can a dresser become a wig and hairpiece maker?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A dresser already covers 50% of what a wig and hairpiece maker is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 9 of which the wig and hairpiece maker role treats as required.
What skills does a dresser need to become a wig and hairpiece maker?
8 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is create wigs.
How hard is the move from dresser to wig and hairpiece maker?
Its learning distance is 52 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.