Starting with the upcoming academic year, Triton College will offer a barber certification program for students looking to get a barber’s license, according to a college news release.
The program, which requires completion of 50 credit hours to earn the certificate, is designed to offer a “comprehensive education” in the art and science of barbering, according to the release. It starts as of the 2024-2025 school year, and will have a curriculum that combines hands-on training with academic instruction.
“At Triton, students will receive hands-on training with top-of-the-line equipment,” Nicholas Cobb, chair of the barbering program, stated in the release.
Cobb, a barber himself for almost 20 years, stated in the release that the profession is thriving and the certificate program at Triton, a community college in River Grove, will prepare students for a career in that field of service.
According to college information about the program, the barber certificate will require completion of 50 credit hours, equivalent to 1,500 clock hours required by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Upon finishing the program, students will be eligible for the Illinois licensed barber exam, according to Cobb.
“Triton students will gain skills in haircutting, styling, chemical techniques, facial hair design, shaving and more,” Cobb stated in the release, adding that students will learn about more than cutting hair. They will gain knowledge about human anatomy and the nervous system, especially the head, hands and feet.
“At Triton, students will learn with the best books, kits, clippers and trimmers,” said Cobb. “They can even participate in hair shows. Triton’s program is more economical than other beauty schools.”
With a full course load, Cobb estimates it would take students 14 months to complete the certificate program. He will teach Monday through Thursday in what is described in the release as a new state-of-the-art barbering facility on the Triton College campus. The facility, according to the release, includes fully-equipped barbering labs “that simulate a real-world barbershop environment.”
Cobb is an alum of Jett College of Barbering in Memphis. After working in the field, he became an instructor. He attended the Memphis Institute of Barbering for certification, the release explains.
Triton is “training the next generation of barbers,” Cobb stated in the release.
