Albany Technical College will host a Cosmetology Refresh Monday, April 29, located in Artisan Hall (building D), room 107 at 5:30 pm. New and exciting changes will be presented that include expanded night class opportunities for students. Faculty, staff and program graduates will attend. Also, employers from the community will be in attendance: JCPenney, Ulta, Celebrities By Fredd, MasterPiece Barbershop and Laced By Des. Cosmetologists offer a wide range of beauty services, such as shampooing, cutting, coloring, and styling of hair. They may advise clients on how to care for their hair at home. In addition, cosmetologists may be trained to give manicures, pedicures, and scalp and facial treatments; provide makeup analysis; and clean and style wigs and hairpieces. The Cosmetology program emphasizes specialized training in safety, sanitation, state laws, rules, and regulations, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, skin, hair, and nail diseases and disorders, hair treatments and manipulations, hair shaping, hair styling, artificial hair, braiding/ intertwining hair, chemical reformation and application, skin and nail care, hair coloring, hair lightening, reception, sales, management, math, reading, writing, interpersonal relations development, computer skills, employability skills, and work ethics.

All states require barbers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists to be licensed. To qualify for a license, candidates must graduate from a state-approved barber or cosmetology program and then pass a state exam for licensure. “Students in the Cosmetology Program at Albany Tech must have 1500 live-work hours before the state board exam. Seventy percent of Cosmetology students come right out of high school and attend during the day, with many older students using our evening classes. Currently, we do not offer barbering, but anticipate offering Barbering as a night class option very soon,” stated Anthony Parker, President of Albany Technical College. Albany Technical College is committed to the process of training and placing employees in decent jobs with decent salaries. Working relationships with employers is an essential part of the process. Albany Technical College is very proud to hold an average job placement of over 98% throughout all industry programs on campus. The median hourly wage for barbers was $12.33 in May 2017.

The median hourly wage for hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists was $11.95 in May 2017. * Employment of hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists will increase by about 20 percent, much faster than average. This growth will primarily come from an increasing population, which will lead to higher demand for basic hair services. Additionally, the need for hair coloring and other advanced hair treatments has increased in recent years, particularly among baby boomers and young people. This trend is expected to continue, leading to a favorable outlook for hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists.