Harbor Springs to add career tech class in cosmetology for 2024-25
HARBOR SPRINGS — Students interested in cosmetology have something to look forward to in the 2024-25 school year in Harbor Springs.
As a part of their Career and Technical Education program offerings, Harbor Springs Public Schools will be introducing a new cosmetology class for students.
According to Jim Rummer, director of Career and Technical Education for the Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District, the program is in its infancy and looking for an instructor, though people have reached out with their interest. The program’s first year will run as a pilot.
He said the idea to start the program will help keep up with work demands in the area.
“There's only so many things you can automate, and cosmetology, obviously, is one of those that you can't,” Rummer said.
He said many students in the area are interested in the program, and that the program would be open to students outside of Harbor Springs as well if they were interested.
“We have 11 local school districts that offer CTE programs, and then kids can go between districts to attend programs,” Rummer said. “So Harbor could offer this program, but there could be students from Pellston, Alanson, Petoskey — anywhere from our ISD could attend this class.”
When it comes to getting students involved in the trades, Rummer said he's seeing more people realize how strong trades are in Northern Michigan and how important it is to get students involved early.
“Our vocational trades have never been as hot as they are today — I've never seen anything like it,” he said. “I think people are recognizing how strong our trades are. We're always going to need our trades, and we have found that the earlier ... that we get kids tuned into the wide world of opportunities that are out there, the better.”
Rummer said the district worked with another high school cosmetology program from the Big Rapids area, and the Mecosta-Osceola ISD donated 16 workstations to the program. He said they’re off to a good start in getting the program up and running, with Harbor Springs having the space to make this a viable option. A year after the program is running, money will be made available from the Char-Em CTE millage as well.
The district has also been working to make the program count as part of an apprenticeship.
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“Students can take this for upwards of two years, and they can leave high school with close to half the hours needed for their apprenticeship out of the way,” Rummer said. “So then local businesses can hire these students upon graduation. As apprentices, they can finish the remaining hours and then they can take the tests to get to state certifications to become cosmetologists.”
He added that being able to save young people time and money is a big plus.
Rummer said he applauds the efforts from Harbor Springs Public Schools to help start the program, because the extra hoops they have to jump through in terms of finding eligible instructors has made the challenge more difficult than previous CTE program introductions.
— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Harbor Springs plans cosmetology class as part of career tech programs
