Chattahoochee Technical College has launched an esthetician cohort with a rapid scale of growth on the horizon.
By Jennifer Morrell Todd
It is no secret that the esthetician industry continues to flourish. This is likely due to a booming self-care movement and desire by so many to age gracefully, looking and feeling their best. Overall employment of skincare specialists is projected to grow by a whopping 9 percent by 2032, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. So, this career space truly knows no bounds — if a college chooses to take advantage of the staggering growth.
Cue Chattahoochee Technical College, which is answering the call to prepare students as licensed skin care professionals who provide facial treatments as well as makeup techniques, hair removal, and spa therapies. The school recently launched an esthetician program to allow Cobb County and metro Atlanta residents the opportunity to explore this burgeoning career path.
“This program took a while to get to this point,” says Jason Tanner, Chattahoochee Tech executive VP for instruction. “We did lots of due diligence, including feasibility studies. Dr. Newcomb, our president, talked to his peers about this program and what it has done for their students.”
The cohort of 20 is led by instructor Hope Skapinetz, whose goal is to bring the program of study to life and create an environment that will foster success for the students. With more than 25 years of experience as a licensed esthetician, Skapinetz has specialized in clinical esthetics, working closely with a plastic surgeon and focusing on pre-operative and post-operative treatments. In various spa settings, she has served as lead esthetician, refining her skills in delivering exceptional client care and advanced skincare treatments. For the last 14 years, Skapinetz served as a licensed esthetics instructor for the Atlanta Institute of Aesthetics, guiding students through all aspects of the industry.
“I envision a curriculum that balances theoretical knowledge with extensive real-world, hands-on, practical experience,” Skapinetz says. “My goal is to ensure that graduates pass state boards and enter the workforce with the skills and confidence to thrive in this competitive field.”
The new program of study is housed at the college’s Mountain View Campus in Cobb County, occupying most of the space where a Culinary Arts program was located previously. This has meant extensive renovations and a complete reimagining of the facility. Essentially, the former space was stripped to the studs and rebuilt to fit a completely different set of requirements. Chattahoochee Tech needed a substantial footprint to accommodate the variety of spaces required to teach the competencies of an esthetician.
The facility was overhauled and ready for the 2024 fall term, and it is impressive, functional, and beautiful. The Esthetician Program includes newly renovated classrooms for lecture-based classes, skills labs for hands-on learning, and all the spaces required to run a spa from the facility.
For three semesters, esthetician students will receive comprehensive training in areas that include skincare techniques, product knowledge, and customer service. Each student must complete a licensed esthetics training program and then pass both the written and practical state examinations for esthetician licensure, regulated by the Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers. Tanner says that, ideally, the program will stagger throughout the year as the space at the Mountain View Campus is scaled up to accommodate all students.
Preparing students for success
Chattahoochee Tech will directly connect its future estheticians with spas in Cobb County and the surrounding area.
“This program will not only educate students in the latest beauty, skincare techniques, and technologies, but also prepare them to excel in clinical and spa environments,” Skapinetz says. “My passion lies in establishing a new esthetician program that prioritizes the student experience, with the added goal of creating an environment that fosters support, patience, and growth.”
Tanner adds that students obtaining their Georgia licensure to work as estheticians will go a long way toward employment. Since the school’s esthetician program is governed by the same board as cosmetology, barbering, and nail technicians, many regulations are similar. The school will hold each student to the highest standard to ensure success.
Of note is that, while Chattahoochee Tech has long had a vibrant and robust cosmetology program, students who enter the esthetician program will focus only on the full-time curriculum set for them. However, as in the cosmetology program, students will do live work as the school will be open to the public for services in the spring.
“The live work we will do in the spa will give students valuable experience,” Tanner says. “Our programs professionalize students to be prepared for work through the ethics we teach, along with the entrepreneurial aspects of working for oneself, for others, and/or part of any team.”
Job-preparedness is key and working with clients from outside of the school in a supervised environment will give students an opportunity to equip themselves and prepare for employment after completing the program. While performing live work, students still are being supported, and the clients will know they are receiving services from a supervised esthetician.
An important part of the preparation a student will receive is through a salon management class. This learning opportunity will enable students to understand business skills, such as handling payments, dealing with clients, and managing a salon or a space within a salon.
Opening new doors
Skapinetz is a firm believer in the saying, “It’s never too late,” and sees Chattahoochee Tech’s esthetician program as an opportunity for new career possibilities. Registered nurses, for example, can expand their skill sets and change the direction of their careers. And the reverse is true as well.
“I see many students go through an esthetician program who also want to be a registered nurse,” she says. “The medical aesthetics arena is really important, and that’s only going to continue to blow up. People want to age more gracefully and are willing to put their money toward it.”
Another example might be the mother in her 50s who has raised her children and worked in the corporate world and is ready to shift gears into a different career.
“I had a phone conversation with one of our students who is in her early-50s,” Skapinetz says. “She seemed worried that she was ‘too old’ for the program, so I reassured her that she is absolutely not too old, and that this change in career path is actually very common. In addition, her clients are going to respect and appreciate her determination.”
On the horizon
In 2023, Chattahoochee Tech celebrated its 60th anniversary. During that time, the school has expanded to nine campuses with multiple buildings on most of them. Chattahoochee Tech boasts nearly 80 distinct programs of study and partnerships with 12 to 16 high school sites and/or college and career academies for each.
“If you finish a program at Chattahoochee, we believe that you’re safe and competent,” Tanner says. “The value of the program for students to be competent, safe and earn that licensure, we believe, is almost a given, if they make it through the rigor of the program.”
Skapinetz has full confidence that graduates from Chattahoochee Tech’s new program will move seamlessly into a full-time position as an esthetician.
“Employers will know that our student has gone above and beyond the minimum standard, not only with their skillset, but with their professionalism,” she says. “They will have good habits and be really prepared for the ‘real world.’”
Skapinetz plans to make contacts and help build viable resources for program graduates. She also will incorporate any feedback from program’s advisory board, who will keep her abreast of the latest trends in the industry as well as what they are seeing from new hires out in the field.
Chattahoochee Tech plans for the spa to be open and functioning for live work in the spring of 2025, when the fall students will be ready. The timeline would be constantly scaling up as more students enroll, and more clients seek live work services, term-over-term.
“Our plan is that we have multiple part-time faculty employed as quickly as possible,” Tanner says. “We are prepared during this academic and fiscal year to hire a second full-time instructor, as well.”
Tanner adds that he is a little nervous about going to scale at an accelerated speed. However, Chattahoochee Tech is prepared to quickly begin staggering cohorts and determining how a shared space is going to look, which he says is a “wonderful problem to have.”
Chattahoochee Technical College Welcomes New Board Chair
Chattahoochee Technical College has welcomed business leader Ford Thigpen as the new chair of its Board of Directors while honoring outgoing Board Chair Debbie Underkoffler at a recent meeting of the board. Outgoing board members Mark Haney and Stevan Crew also were commended for their many years of service. Thigpen is the Northwest Georgia Regional President of The Piedmont Bank. He is a lifelong Georgia resident whose civic engagement has included serving as chair of the Wellstar Cobb Hospital Authority, president of the Rotary Club of Paulding County, and chair of the Paulding County Chamber of Commerce. Outgoing Board Chair Underkoffler is the president and CEO of North Georgia Staffing, an award-winning human resource consulting and staffing services firm headquartered in Kennesaw.
Cobb Community Foundation Awards Scholarships to 51 Students
The Cobb Community Foundation (CCF) says its “scholarship season” has come to a successful close with 51 students being awarded a total of $121,415 in scholarship funds.
“It has been my honor to oversee CCF’s scholarship program for the first time this year and to lead the implementation of our new Online Scholarship Portal which has leveraged our efforts, streamlined the application process for students and the evaluation process for reviewers, and positioned CCF to grow this program and empower more future scholars,” says CCF Programs Manager Alexandra Boyle.
“These scholarships would not exist without the vision, passion, and generosity of our scholarship fund advisors, local companies, and community members,” Boyle continues. “We are proud to be part of a community that is filled with individuals who truly want to give back.”
To learn more about CCF’s scholarships, visit cobbfoundation.org/what-we-do-atlanta-marietta-ga/scholarships-atlanta-marietta-ga
Chattahoochee Tech President Dr. Ron Newcomb is Retiring
Chattahoochee Tech President Dr. Ron Newcomb announced recently that effective Aug. 31, 2024, he is retiring after 36 years at the school (and 41 years in his career in education and state government).
“It’s time. The college is at a great place in terms of enrollment and expansions. The faculty and staff are at the top of their game,” said Dr. Newcomb. “With enrollment this fall at 11,000 students, I’m so proud of the work of this team.”
Appointed president in 2012, Dr. Newcomb led the college through the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple regional and program accreditations, along with various campus and program expansions, always providing the vision and direction needed for success. His tenure in technical education began in 1988 at the North Metro Technical Institute as vice president of planning and development and then served as VP of student affairs.
While at North Metro, Dr. Newcomb was placed on assignment with the Office of Gov. Roy Barnes as Commission Staff Director to the Governor’s Education Reform Study Commission. He assisted with multiple pieces of education legislation, including language changes in state law that allowed the technical institutes to change their name to technical college.
Dr. Newcomb leaves Chattahoochee Tech to spend more time reading, traveling, and spending time with family and valued friends. “My health is good and there are other interests I’d like to pursue,” he said. “There will always be just one more thing to do at the college, but it’s a good stopping point for me.” He also leaves Chattahoochee Tech in a position of future success poised for growth, expansion and building upon community to ensure the best workforce in the state.
