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WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2019 15 Our Open Education program allows eligible students to take additional on campus or online programs - tuition free! Business • Healthcare • Legal • Media • Technology Limit your Tuition, Not your Education HERZINGOPENEDUCATION.CA 2 0 4 . 7 7 5 . 8 1 7 5 wpg-info@herzing.ca Career focused • Convenient • Caring EARN YOUR BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Leadership. Entrepreneurship. Service. Apply Today at Prov.ca/Business Winnipeg-based esthetics and hairstyling institutes offer highly focused, hands-on courses that can get their students into the workforce in short order — whether you're looking to build a small business or coming out of high school with a creative inclination. One of those educational institutions is the European School of Esthetics, a school established 33 years ago by former owner Doreen Maunder. "We're a full-service esthetics institute that offers everything except hairdressing, with plans in the works to add that course," says Maunder, who now serves as a director of the school. "We offer skin care tech, a nail care tech course and full esthetics which includes subjects such as make-up, lash tinting and extensions, and hair removal (waxing and sugaring)." She says the school's education philosophy is simple. "Our main aim is to give students a real, practical education. We want our students to know how to use their skills when they head out to work, so we make sure they get as much practical experience as possible, so that they are successful during their apprenticeship. There is theory, but the reality is you don't get your skills from a book. You get it from hands- on experience." Students can be work-ready in less than a year, she adds. "Students are looking at a 10-month commitment if they attend full-time. If they choose to attend part-time, it will take about a year-and-a-half to graduate. We also work with international students and have a bridging program that's aimed at meeting the unique needs of workers immigrating to Canada." Anna McGregor, director of MC College, says they're focused on helping students get out into the workforce as quickly as possible. "Students in our fashion design program usually graduate in just under a year, while hairstyling students are job-ready in 10 months," she says. "Esthetics is a seven- month program and our nail tech program is a three-month, part-time course." All courses are based on an educational concept known as progressive learning, notes McGregor. "Students start with in-class theory, then go on practicums where they work with clients in spas and salons. They'll then go back and forth between class and practical work. That combination of theory and hands-on experience helps prepare students best for what they'll be doing once they graduate." She adds that MC College also gives students a grounding in the fundamentals of running a business. "We also teach business courses that teach students the skills they need — how to market themselves, and how to be a successful owner of a salon or spa," explains McGregor. "We also get work placements for students. They're very successful — about 90 per cent of our students find employment before they graduate." Michael Arquero, a part-time hairstyling instructor at the Aveda Institute, says the teaching style there is part inspiration, part perspiration. "Our 10-month program features a curriculum that has a pivot point that centres around Aveda inspiration," he says. "We pass on pride about the products we make and our pursuit of environmental responsibility." From there, instructors work tirelessly to prepare students for the highly competitive industry they're aspiring to work in. "In addition to teaching them hairstyling skills, we teach them how to write a proper resumé and how to prepare for interviews," says Arquero. "Those are skills that will help them market themselves and get a job." They're also made salon-ready through practical experience gained in an in-house salon and job placements. "Students can go into a salon that's connected to the school and feel what it's like to work in a salon," he says. "When they go on job placements, they're prepared, as they've already been exposed to that pressure and intensity. Our thorough, hands- on approach works, as we have a 97 per cent job placement rate." For more information, visit avedainstitute. ca/winnipeg, europeanschoolofesthetics.ca or mccollege.ca. ❚ CANADIAN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY Arts Dialogue Faith Science Community Music Mentorship Business Character Vocation Practica Peace-Justice Social Enterprise ESTHETICS & HAIRSTYLING PROGRAMS HANDS-ON, SALON-READY By Todd Lewys for the Free Press Esthetics and hairstyling schools offer highly focused, hands-on courses to get students into the workforce quickly. Photo credits: Aveda Institute/ Natasha Gerschon (middle right, bottom left), MC College/Kevin Appl (top, bottom right), European School of Esthetics/Brenna Faris (middle left)

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