Protect the educational standards of the beauty industry

LESS EDUCATION IS NOT THE ANSWER

WHAT IS SB-133?

Ohio Legislators are back at it again. For the 4th time they have introduced a bill that will gut cosmetology and barber education, reducing the number of clock hours for cosmetology from 1,500 to 1,000 and barbering from 1,800 to 1,000. They claim that this bill is designed to help women, minorities and small business owners. Of the 92,000 licensed professionals in Ohio, 68% are single-unit operations that are female owned. Thirty-Eight percent of barbers are African-American men who own their own operations.

We are an industry of self-starters and entrepreneurs, but cutting the hours by a more than a third removes critical preparation and education that ensures success. This floods the industry with under-experienced and less prepared graduates that will need guidance and continuing education in order to ensure their success. Producing graduates that are not fully prepared to enter the workforce does harm to graduates, salons/barbershops, and the industry as a whole.

THE BURDEN ON GRADUATES

Graduates who enter the industry underprepared are forced to seek out that invaluable education and experience on their own. If they work in a chair rental salon, that often means that they do not have a mentor or regimented continuing education plan necessary to get them up to speed. Graduates who go into employment based salons may have access to a mentor or even an education program, but that education is not created to the same standards as nationally accredited cosmetology and barbering schools.

Currently a newly licensed cosmetologist in the State of Ohio can seek licensure in 30 states without the need of investing in any additional education. If SB-133 becomes law, that same newly licensed cosmetologist would be left with only two states (New York and Massachusetts) to transfer to without further investment in education. That means Ohio graduates would be required to invest in additional education in order to work in every single one of our neighboring states.

THE BURDEN ON SALONS

With all graduates receiving a third less education, salons and barbershops would now expected to shoulder the burden of finishing the education of the graduates. As mentioned prior, many of these salons and barbershops are small businesses that cannot afford the investment of time and money that it will take to develop an underprepared graduate into a confident, productive service provider. This puts the very businesses and entrepreneurs they claim to be helping at a significant disadvantage to the larger chains who can afford to absorb those costs.

HOW IT HURTS THE INDUSTRY

The most important thing to most service guests is consistency. That’s why we’re all so dedicated to our stylists and barbers. Knowing that your service provider has a solid foundation of knowledge and skills that are taught by professional educators according to a state board approved curriculum, gives guests the peace of mind when seeking out a new provider. If we cut the hours from 1500 to 1000, that means that one third of the experience and education is provided “on-the-job” without a consistent curriculum and dedicated educators.

LESS EDUCATION IS NOT THE ANSWER

The proponents of this bill claim that the current licensure requirements are overburdensome and that lowering hour requirements will lead to less debt. No one will argue that less debt is a bad thing, however SB-133 doesn’t make cosmetology education any cheaper, it simply removes a third of the education. Buying a car for 33% off seems like a great deal until you realize that the car you bought is missing a third of its parts.

Support the beauty industry and beauty professionals by making sure that education and licensure standards are not lowered in order for a few large companies to make a few more bucks. Protect my profession.

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WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF SB-133?

IMPACT ON STUDENTS

Takes 1/3 or more of a student’s education out of the hands of passionate professional educators and puts that burden on salons.
Reduced hours will not give students enough time in classroom or in clinic to learn both the safety/sanitation and the technical skills necessary to be employment ready upon graduation.
Fewer cosmetology and barber hours could mean that the skincare and esthetics portions of their education would not get an adequate amount of time during the truncated program.
Fewer salons and barbershops can afford to shoulder the financial burden of an educational program, meaning there will be fewer employment opportunities for graduates.

DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT ON WOMEN

Nearly 95% of beauty professionals and 85% of licensed cosmetologists are women, while women represent only 47% of the workers in all US industries.
Women own 61% of independent salons, whereas women own only 30% of businesses in all private sectors.
38% of barbers are African-American men who own their own operations.
Proponents of SB-133 argue that the “common sense reforms are necessary to position the Ohio cosmetology industry for survival,” but the truth is that passage of SB-133 will result in the closure of numerous female and minority owned businesses.

IMPACT ON LICENSE PORTABILITY

Newly licensed cosmetologists in Ohio can currently seek licensure in 30 states without the need of investing in any additional education.
SB-133 would reduce that same cosmetologist’s opportunities to only two states, New York and Massachusetts.

IMPACT ON SMALL BUSINESS

“Mom and Pop” salons and barbershops cannot afford to hire a graduate then pay someone to finish their education without the deep pockets of larger chain salons.
Salon and barbershop owners and operators will be forced to divert their energy and resoruces from running the business and servicing clients to educating new employees.
Nearly 2/3 of salons and spas are small, independently-owned entrepreneurial businesses that employ less than 5 people and operate on an incredibly moderate profit margin of less than 10%.
SB-133 would force these small, independent businesses to absorb an additional cost of $5,000 to $8,000 per new hire to replace training that is currently provided to each newly licensed beauty professional in Ohio.
Small businesses are forced to either spend money to finish a graduate’s education or to spend more money hiring more senior stylists who are already experienced.
The proponents of SB-133 are owners, franchisees or officers of large, chain salon operations that stand to benefit from the demise of the small, independently-owned salon and spa who cannot bear the increased financial burden.

IMPACT ON CONSUMERS

Students will have less experience with the technical skills needed, possibly leading to unsatisfactory results.
Client safety could be at risk by having graduates with only a minimal amount of education on safety and sanitation.
Graduates lack of adequate experience will result in slower service and longer appointments for customers.
Added expense of education could result in a price increase for services.

No on SB-133

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Members of the Ohio Senate Small Business & Economic Opportunity Committee

I am writing to you to convey my concerns regarding the overwhelmingly negative impact that Senate Bill 133 will have on the cosmetology industry and my profession. This bill, currently being considered by the Ohio, would drastically reduce educational requirements for Ohio’s cosmetology and barbering students by 30% to 50% depending on the category of licensure.

My colleagues and I feel strongly that the current requirements for cosmetology and barber training provide the necessary foundation to enter and be successful in the salon and barbering industry. The hours proposed in SB 133 will not allow students enough time in the classroom or clinic to learn the safety, sanitation and technical skills essential to be employment ready upon graduation. In many cases, our cosmetology licenses are our only credential, reducing the hours required to obtain licensure devalues our licensure and dilutes our chosen profession.

Nearly two-thirds of salons and spas are small, independently-owned entrepreneurial businesses that employ less than five people and operate on an incredibly modest profit margin of less than ten percent. Senate Bill 133 would force these small businesses to absorb an additional cost of between $5,000 and $8,000 per new hire to replace the training that is currently provided to each newly licensed cosmetology professional in the state. The average salon or spa is not in a financial position to bear the burden of increased training given the reduced hours requirements contained in SB 133. If passed into law, SB 133 will undoubtedly result in the closing of numerous business and significantly reduced freedom for Ohio licensees to relocate.

I respectfully request that you oppose Senate Bill 133. This proposed legislation hurts small businesses and undermines a career path that provides my colleagues and myself the ability to make a respectable living, flexibility in our schedules and location, and the potential to become self-sufficient entrepreneurs.

Thank you for your consideration.

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