THE BUSINESS OF BEAUTY: READY TO WORK? iNDUSTRY RUNS SHORT ON JOB APPLICANTS

When Amy Stroder finishes school this summer, she'll join her father in his business.

Kirk Dunnavant completed his school studies last week. He'll start work Thursday.

Christi Corbin will graduate in July. She'll start looking for a job about a month before graduating.

Stroder, Dunnavant and Corbin are three of more than 50 students who are attending Stage One, The Hair School, in Cape Girardeau.

There's an unusual dilemma in the cosmetology industry -- the number of graduating cosmetologists is declining and the number of salons and job openings are increasing.

"We have better than 95 percent job placement here," said Susan Koepp of Stage One, The Hair School, located at 904 Broadway. "We have a list of job openings posted here all the time."

Sarah W. Hale agrees.

"We have a waiting list," said Hale of Ser's Beauty College, 817 Broadway.

The nation's beauty salons have enough business to warrant the hiring of about 240,000 additional employees -- but they can't find qualified applicants.

"A survey conducted a couple of years ago indicated there were almost three openings for every new cosmetology licensee entering the market," said Koepp. "That same survey showed that salons and job openings were increasing at 4 percent a year."

The national survey in 1991 was commissioned by the National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences (NACCAS), and conducted by the independent firm of LMP Associates, Chevy Chase, Md.

"The survey told us some things we already knew," said Koepp, who has been in the cosmetology education business for a half-dozen years. "We have shops who send representatives into the school here to talk with prospective cosmetologists."

Keith and Susan Koepp purchased the former Cape Girardeau School of Beauty Culture Inc. in July of 1988, and changed the name to Stage One, The Hair School.

"We made some changes here," she said. "We remodeled, applied new business and management techniques."

Fifty to 65 students graduate from the school each year after completing nine- to 12-month courses.

Hale's operation is smaller.

"Right now, we only have two or three students," said Hale. "But the enrollment varies. We have a capacity for 20 students."

Hale, who has been a cosmetologist since 1956, opened her school in October of 1990.

"I previously had a beauty school in Sikeston," she said. "I've been in the Cape Girardeau area 10 years."

Hale is a graduate of Velvatex Beauty College in Little Rock, Ark. She has worked as an operator, and previously worked as an instructor at the Classic Beauty College in Blytheville, Ark.

The Stage One school has been in existence for 67 years.

It was founded by Goldie Watts in 1927. Watts' daughter, Margaret Johnson, became a partner in the business in 1946 and operated the school until 1988.

"Since the school opened, more than 4,000 students have graduated here," said Koepp. "Many of those operators are working in the Cape Girardeau area.

Koepp explains that students do more than learn to cut, curl and color hair.

"They have to complete 1,500 hours of work," said Koepp. "They learn make-up, nail care, skin care, massage, and skills ranging from keeping tax records to selling hair care products."

Students also have to contend with anatomy courses, which require learning all the bones in the face, head, fingers and arm.

There are some requirements before graduation.

Students must complete a minimum of 180 haircuts and 64 permanent waves, noted Koepp.

"Students sometimes work with mannequins and wigs," said Koepp. "But we have a lot of customers who come to the students for hair care and manicures. Our students get a lot of hands-on experience."

The students are graded on every set, every haircut, every color.

Following all this, students have to pass the state cosmetology examination, administered at Jefferson City.

Dunnavant of Toledo, Ohio, completed his school work last week.

"I'm a minister," he said. "I felt that this (cosmetologist) occupation would be a trade. I can find work wherever I go."

Dunnavant, who started cosmetology school in Sikeston, transferred to the Hair School, when the Sikeston Beauty College closed.

"I like Cape Girardeau," he said, adding that his wife is a nurse at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He will start work Thursday at Regis Hairstylists.

Stroder knew where she would be working when she first enrolled in the cosmetologist school.

"My father is Gary Stroder," she said. "He operates Gary and Co. Hair Designers at 1017 Harmony. I'll be working in his shop."

Stroder said she knew cosmetology would be the career for her. "I like working with hair," she said.

"I taught Amy's father here," said Mary Jane Ervin, director of instruction at the school. Ervin started teaching at the school in 1965.

Christi Corbin of Dexter enrolled in Stage One in October of 1993.

"I attended Southwest Missouri State University at Springfield for a while," she said. "But, I've always been interested in cutting hair and manicuring nails."

"The profession is a great one for people who like it and work hard," said Koepp. "We can train just about anyone in the basics of hair styling, but there is an element of art and imagination for someone to become an exceptional hairdresser."

Koepp said she usually can tell after a couple of weeks if someone has exceptional talent.

"Students have an opportunity to attend various shows throughout the area, especially in the summer," said Koepp. "And the school hosts style competition twice a year."

Koepp points to another big advantage in the cosmetology field.

"Many professions demand years of experience for someone seeking a job," she said. "But there are thousands of salons out there who will accept entry-level cosmetologists."

Nail salons alone, which often hire the newly-licensed cosmetologists, had 21,000 unfilled jobs, according to the NACCAS survey.

"In some states separate licensing is required to practice manicuring," said Koepp. "This generally takes a few weeks of specialized training at an accredited cosmetology school to qualify."

With a growing number of Americans taking second and part-time jobs, this avenue offers a quick and sure way to employment, he said.

The industry is for all ages, too, Koepp pointed out.

We have students here from high school to over 50 years of age.

"You're never too old to learn," said one cosmetologist who entered school at the age of 37, when he was laid off from a steel mill after 15 years of employment.

"My friends laughed at me," said Bobby Jame. "My wife wondered if a knew what I was doing."

Today, Jame owns the three "Bobby J" salons in the Pittsburgh, Pa., area, operates an advanced training center, and hosts his own radio talk show answering callers' questions about what to do with their hair.

The study also revealed that cosmetology pays more than most anticipated.

While it is difficult to gauge exact figures for a business that includes tips, the survey estimates that the average pay in 1991 for experienced, full-time cosmetologists was $25,931, which was higher than the average U.S. average annual income for the same year.

"In many cases, the cosmetologists have a lot to do with salary or tips," said Koepp. "An average operator who develops confidence early and can get along with people will do just fine."