When we head to our local hair salon for a trim, we don’t often think about how the stylists learned how to use those scissors and clippers the right way.
Northwest Community College offers a program in just that area and last Thursday, they offered a chance for students finishing the program to demonstrate what they have learned. Interested people came to the class and got a hairstyle for free. The salon is open and offers free haircuts to disadvantaged people. Everyone can come in to get a trim at a very affordable rate. (More info on their website here.)
Corry Johnson, in her third year as an instructor with the program, is very satisfied with the program and most importantly, the students feel that they have learned many skills that will help them in the workplace.
Those who had come to get their hair done had no trepidation and the atmosphere was positive.
Sharelle Lucier was elected to be the spokesperson for her fellow students and feels satisfied. She is looking forward to working in a salon and eventually having her own. She feels confident that the skills she has learned will put her in good stead.
“I really want to be the type of stylist who is accepting of the way that people want to look. I have seen a lot of change in the way people want to style their hair. It’s a challenge and it’s an evolving industry. We have to grow and evolve with what is trending and what is not. We have to respect that some people do not want any change. Some looks are really timeless and I can respect that,” she said.
She feels that the biggest challenge now will be getting the hours to get to the next level of certification.
“All the girls have talked about it. In a new salon it’s a challenge because each one has their own culture,” she said.
And speaking of culture, she said that the program had covered all the types of hair and different cultures that they might have to deal with.
To help that possibility, the course is combined with studies in numeracy and literacy which will enable those in the program to enhance their chances of getting a job once they graduate.
Listening to the excitement in Lucier’s voice, and the positive air in the room as her classmates cut, snip and shampoo, there is little doubt that she her classmates will be successful upon graduation.
