Algonquin College to cut hairstyling, esthetician programs

Walking through the School of Business and Hospitality at Algonquin College, Tara Ettinger points out labs equipped with state of the art barber chairs, manicure and pedicure stations, and a fully operational salon that's open to the public at discounted rates.

After 20 years of teaching in the college's hairstyling and esthetician programs, Ettinger said she's proud watching her students prepare for a future in "a trade that makes a difference in people's lives."

But the college's decision to soon cancel those programs means her own future is now uncertain.

The college's School of Business and Hospitality suggested the cuts in November 2023, after "years of remediation efforts" and months of analysis, according to dean Julie Beauchamp.

A group of students enrolled in the hairstyle and esthetician programs at Algonquin College watched a livestream of the board of governors meeting on Monday. (Brian Morris/CBC)

At a board of governors meeting Monday, Beauchamp said though enrolment for the programs remains high, it is no longer financially viable to keep them running.

Beauchamp cited a deficit of $1.16 million in the 2022-23 fiscal year, which she said was due to labour and overhead costs including office space and "depreciation for equipment."

The board also discussed the possibility of a tuition increase, but with a tuition freeze in place, that wouldn't be possible for another three years.

Following her presentation, a motion to suspend the programs come winter 2025, with the intent to cancel after the current cohort graduates, passed with a majority vote.

'Huge loss' for beauty industry

It's not the outcome Ettinger was hoping for.

For weeks, the professor has been lobbying the college to see the value in the programs and their importance to Ottawa's female-dominated beauty industry.

"A lot of [our students] have become entrepreneurs themselves and opened businesses within their communities," Ettinger explained.

Nora Murad is one such student. A graduate of the program, Murad now owns N°1 Salon in the city's west end.

Nicole Patton graduated from the esthetician program in 2018. 'It was the first time, both in my education career, that schooling made sense and things clicked, and I would hate to see other people not have the opportunity to feel what I felt,' she said. (Anchal Sharma/CBC )

"It's super upsetting to see our industry not be as recognized," she said.

Nicole Patton agrees.

The fellow alumnus manages Smudge Beauty Bar in the ByWard Market and often hires graduates of the hairstyle and esthetics programs at Algonquin.

"Algonquin does put out some of the best graduates in the area," she said calling the imminent loss of new graduates from the programs a "huge loss" for the industry.