Students Turn to Promising Profession: Cosmetology

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the need for hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists to increase by 12 percent.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the need for hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists to increase by 12 percent.

Students Turn to Promising Profession: Cosmetology

As unemployment figures continue their rise, one industry

has proven to be resilient: cosmetology. According to Empire Beauty Schools, the nation’s largest provider of cosmetology education, more people are seeking to pursue cosmetology

than ever before.

Over the last year, Empire has seen a boom in enrollment of 33 percent on average nationwide, with some locations seeing

student enrollment double.

According to Franklin K. Schoeneman, CEO of Empire, many of Empire’s students attended college, but left when they felt

college would not prepare them for the workforce. Other students have turned to cosmetology as a second career choice, looking for the creative outlet and stability that the profession offers.

Tammy Giles, a 39-year old Empire Beauty School

student based in Michigan, has a common story. After being laid

off from her job as a retail sales manager and exhausting all of

her unemployment, she had to pursue a new profession. Tammy

had always been interested in cosmetology, so she set out to get her license, feeling confident in the employment opportunities it would offer.

“Everybody wants to look good,” said Giles. “You save your

money, even in hard times, and you spend it on what you think

is important.”

According to the latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of

Labor Statistics, employment of hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists should increase by 12 percent. Many now cut and style both men’s and women’s hair, and the demand for hair treatment by teens and aging baby boomers is expected to remain steady or grow.

“The great thing about cosmetology is that it is one job that can’t be outsourced,” said Schoeneman.

To learn more, visit the Empire Beauty Schools Web

site at www.empire.edu.

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