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New West Side MATC Madison Salon to Help Meet Demand
For Local Hair Care and Cosmetology Professionals
A new salon on Madison’s west side will allow
Madison Area Technical College to train more students for jobs
in a high-demand field, ease a shortage of qualified barber/cosmetologists
in the Madison area, and provide affordable services to area residents.
The
MATC Barber Cosmetology Salon will open October 24 in the High
Point Center,
7475 Mineral Point Road. Salon hours will be 12:30 p.m. until 4:00
p.m., Monday through Friday. Services provided by the students,
who are closely supervised be MATC’s experienced, state-licensed
instructors, include hair cuts, shampoo, styling, and conditioning
treatments. Customers may call 833-0861 for appointments.
Like the
existing salon at MATC’s Downtown Education Center,
the new facility will provide students experience with a wide variety
of customers as they study for one-year barber/cosmetologist technical
diplomas. Barber/Cosmetology program students must meet state mandated
graduation eligibility requirements which include working with
clientele.
“We are pleased to offer our west side neighbors
the services that have been so popular at our downtown salon for
over 40 years.
MATC
is able to provide a benefit to the community in the form of low-priced
salon services while providing our students the experience they
need to learn essential skills,” says Barber/Cosmetology
Instructor John Fahey.
Other salons in the area are supportive of
the new MATC salon, Fahey notes. He met with and surveyed nearby
salon owners and received
a very positive response, primarily because the businesses are
eager to hire more MATC graduates.
“There is a large demand from salons of all sizes throughout
the MATC District for our barber/cosmetology graduates,” Fahey
said. The large number of job opportunities in the field have created
a waiting list for admission to the MATC Barber/Cosmetologist Program,
which has been limited to 28 students due to space constraints.
The new west side facility will double program capacity to 56.
One
area business owner eager to hire more MATC graduates is Robert
Konz, who operates the Revolution Hair Company and Evolution
Day Spa in
Middleton. An MATC
grad himself, and now a member of the program’s advisory committee, Konz
states: “My first job was with an MATC alum and I’ve hired MATC students
as apprentices in my salon. My instructors went far beyond just what was required.
Our salon is always looking for trained and talented professionals and I hope
MATC will have more candidates for us in the future.”
Customer revenues
will be used to cover the salon’s lease and operating
costs. MATC will conduct a price analysis to ensure its pricing structure, currently
23% of private salon prices, is comparable with other barber/cosmetology schools
in the area.
MATC is one of the largest of the Wisconsin Technical
College System’s
16 colleges. It provides a comprehensive curriculum of technical, liberal arts
and science, adult basic education and life enrichment studies and activities,
as well as customized employee training. MATC provides training in more than
100 career programs. It awards associate degrees, vocational diplomas and certificates,
and offers non-degree courses. The college serves all or parts of 12 counties
located in south-central Wisconsin and offers instruction through five campuses
and various other locations throughout the district.
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Last
Modified:
October 18, 2005
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