Despite "packet education" and a modified program due to COVID-19, students in SCI Waymart's Cosmetology School have kept working hard to earn their licenses.
This non-traditional method of instruction has adequately prepared students for the PA Cosmetologist Theory and Procedural Skills exam. The student shown in this picture was able to acquire the necessary knowledge to be successful on his computerized assessment taken. By passing the exam, he has become a licensed cosmetologist!
Cosmetology students are required to have 300 hours of instruction before they can be "on the floor" and cut hair. During COVID-19, "packet education" assignments are strictly on the theory part of the subjects that is allowed during COVID-19. The students are also studying State Laws for Cosmetology.
All students that have taken the licensing exam had acquired the majority of their hours prior to COVID-19 and then acquired more practical hours from July 2020 to November 2020 when SCI Waymart had limited zone movement.
Students cannot take the exam unless they had 1,250 hours of theory and practical instruction. This spring, Waymart's administration granted permission for a few students to do work on mannequins and receive in-person review sessions.
It is the goal of the DOC to have students complete the required hours and to take the test before they leave a facility—and the pandemic was just an obstacle for the education staff to overcome.
During the pandemic, Waymart's cosmetology program had two students take and pass the licensing exam. A few weeks before COVID-19, another student became licensed. Other students have completed the program and are awaiting approval to take the test.
Tami McCollum, Waymart cosmetology teacher, and her students are committed to continuing the legacy of excellence that this program has established. Waymart's administration works closely with the education department to ensure that the program is able to thrive in these challenging times. The Cosmetology School enables students to "Leave Here with a Career."