Shorter training time for cosmetologists not in style for everyone
A proposal to shorten the training requirements for a cosmetology license in Louisiana isn’t a good look, according to some members of the profession. They worry a hastened education in hairstyling, esthetics and manicures could lead to problems with health, safety and customer satisfaction.
Still, a legislative panel advanced a bill Monday that would chop 300 hours off the time needed to obtain the professional certification. Rep. Mary DuBuisson, R-Slidell, took House Bill 470 before the House Commerce Committee to reduce the amount of training for cosmetologists from 1,500 hours over nine months to 1,200 hours over seven months.
At her side when presenting the bill was Jeremy Aydell, a Sport Clips franchisee who said he owns 12 locations throughout south Louisiana, including one in DuBuisson’s district. There are currently 25 job openings at the Sport Clips sites, and Aydell said shorter training time would allow him to fill the vacancies faster. He noted around 10 other states have already reduced their training time for cosmetology licenses to 1,000 to 1,200 hours.
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Vivian Glaze, a longtime Pineville salon owner and former vice chair of the Louisiana Board of Cosmetology, is among the professionals and cosmetology school owners who oppose DuBuisson’s proposal. Although DuBuisson agreed to amend her bill to specify it would not shortcut health and safety training, Glaze insisted the current 1,500 hours of training time is essential for aspiring cosmetologists.
“I don’t know how you can vote yes because there’s a dude that wants to put a bunch of little girls out of beauty school in tight T-shirts to do 15-minute haircuts,” Glaze told committee members. “It’s wrong, period, done. I’m a hairdresser. He’s not a hairdresser.”
Sarah Dugas, who operates Compass Career College in Hammond, spoke in favor of the proposal. She said the 300 hours in question involve “on the floor” training and application of what’s taught in the classroom at her school. If DuBuisson’s bill became law, Compass said she would reduce the cost of tuition for cosmetology training.
“While I can personally speak to the effects of a traumatizing haircut, it is not a life-or-death situation,” Dugas said, comparing cosmetology training to the curriculum for licensed practical nursing at her school.
DuBuisson’s bill would not require all cosmetology schools in Louisiana to reduce their course requirements, meaning they could keep a 1,500-hour standard. But opponents said by setting a 1,200-hour minimum in state law, students would qualify for less federal tuition assistance. So someone who wants to attend a 1,500-hour school would have to cover the added cost out of pocket.
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Dana Luna, who runs a cosmetology school in Opelousas, said her students would lose about a quarter of the money they currently receive through the Pell Grant program for low-income attendees.
Training programs would have to be dramatically altered under a 1,200-hour standard, said Keisha Barras, a cosmetology school owner in Lafayette. Those likely to be affected include estheticians, who she said are regularly hired to work in medical offices to perform services such as dermaplaning and microdermabrasion.
Cosmetology training also covers how to recognize skin cancer and other serious ailments, the opponents said.
Support for DuBuisson’s bill is mixed among members of the state cosmetology board, its attorney, Sheri Morris, told the committee, although she noted the body itself cannot take positions on legislation. Louisiana requires cosmetology students to pass a national exam, so a shorter training time would still have to prepare students for those standards, she said.
Although House Commerce Committee members raised questions about maintaining safety and quality, no one objected when the proposal was advanced to the floor.
DuBuisson also gained approval for a bill that would increase the annual license fee for cosmetologists from $25 to $40. The amount hasn’t been changed since 1996, according to Ryan Hainey, who lobbied in favor of the bills. The additional money would go largely toward a technology upgrade for the state board so cosmetologists could pay for and track their license status online.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Shorter training time for cosmetologists not in style for everyone
