By next Summer, cosmetology career education will be available at the Southern Indiana Career and Technical Center (SICTC).
This is because the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) Board voted Monday night to renovate a section of the Technical Center to accommodate a new cosmetology program.
This includes barbering, hair styling, manicures, pedicures and more. According to research firm Circana, the US prestige beauty market grew by 2-percent to $16 billion. Sales at mass merchants increased 4-percent to $34.6 billion in the first half of 2025.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported faster than average job growth for cosmetologists, with a media pay of $17.03 per hour in 2024.
The renovation is expected to last until May 2026. There are only 40 spots for the program — but more than 190 juniors and seniors have already applied.
SICTC is a regional school, so these students hail from Vanderburgh, Warrick, Gibson, Posey and Spencer Counties.
Robin Woebkenberg — SICTC director of career and technical education, said the interest has been high from students and businesses.
“Since we have made the announcement, we have had so, so many salons contact us, saying, ‘This is fantastic, we are very interested in your students,’” Woebkenberg said. “Because I think they have a hard time as well, staffing salons, finding stylists.”
Students can work toward the state-required 1,500 hours of experience while at the career center. After graduating, they can finish those hours at a training school like Rogers Academy of Hair Design, or Salon Professional Academy — or move on to another career option.
In a couple years, the school can begin recouping costs with paying customers.
The renovation will cost $828,300. However, all the equipment — the styling chairs, stations, shampoo bowls, dryer chairs, manicure tables, pedicure chairs and barber stations were purchased with a grant a few years ago.
Woebkenberg said the grant was their chance to purchase the equipment for a future program.
“We were awarded the grant, and so we used that money to buy the equipment, and it's been waiting for us to have money to use for facilities because we knew we needed to redesign a space out here at the Career and Technical Center.”
That space had been used by other programs, but they’ve since been moved. The renovation is expected to last until May 2026.
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