Cosmetology students show off their many Talents
LUMBERTON, NC (August 2009) —Those who train for careers in cosmetology have plenty of career options to choose from. Some cosmetologists enjoy working at someone else’s business, but for many, the dream is to have their own business at some point in the future.
RCC Cosmetology students are required, as part of their curriculum to successfully complete coursework that focuses on salon management. As part of the salon management class, students are required to write a business plan, design an actual model of their salon and hold a mock open house of their newly established business.
Robeson County Commissioner and Lumberton Business owner Tom Taylor was an invited guest at the mock grand opening of the Stop, Cut N’ Roll Salon held in the RCC Cosmetology Department on July 28.
Commissioner Taylor joined RCC President Charles Chrestman and the salon members in cutting the ribbon for the grand event. The mock presentation was one of three student project demonstrations held on Campus.
Commissioner Taylor is impressed with the pool of talented students at RCC.
“The students put a lot of hard work into their projects. I am very impressed with the many talents that I have seen here today, and I commend the College’s administration for their efforts to help produce competent and qualified workers for our region”, Taylor says.
Salon management has long been part of the cosmetology curriculum requirements, but the facility modeling and mock open house component were initiated by retired cosmetology instructor Betty Biggs in the early 1980’s.
“The project is a great tool for teaching teamwork and the students really enjoy the challenge of planning a successful business”, says Cosmetology Instructor Queen Locklear.
Learning how to manage a salon is no easy task. To be a successful salon owner you must not only possess beauty skills, but you must have good financial managerial skills. A skillful salon manager is as adept at performing their skills for their client base as he or she is at ordering supplies and managing finances.
Bernice Boger, RCC’s Cosmetology Director, feels that the salon management project provides the students an in-depth look at the reality of owning their own salon business.
“The project requires countless hours of researching and planning. The intent of the project is to make our students more aware of the financial side of cosmetology and the essential planning and organizational skills needed to operate a successful salon”, says Boger.
Dustin Locklear, a member of the Stop, Cut N’ Roll Salon group, notes that the project taught the group that planning is critical to successfully starting and building a business.
“The business plan was the most intense part of the assignment. Our group learned a lot about marketing strategies and how to be, and remain profitable in a competitive market. The assignment was a great learning experience. It definitely required each team member to pitch in and do their part”, says Locklear.
Careers in cosmetology are much more limitless than many people imagine. The cosmetology field continues to emerge and more males are finding lucrative and rewarding careers in the beauty industry.
Assistant VP for Public Service and Applied Technology William Locklear praises the efforts of the students’ and department staff members.
"The beauty-cosmetic arts are a billion dollar industry with a high demand for our local graduates. Our graduates perform well on our state mandated exams and have a good reputation in the local industry. The student's presentations were very innovative and clearly show their high level of professionalism. I am very proud of these students and appreciate the dedicated faculty in this program”, notes Locklear.
The salon projects will be on display in the College’s library through the fall semester.
To learn more about RCC’s Cosmetology Diploma program, visit www.robeson.edu or call 910.272.3420.
