A new partnership was announced yesterday between Holy Family Catholic Regional Division (HFCRD) and EvelineCharles Academy (ECA).
Starting in February 2018, the ECA will open a campus at Glenmary Jr/Sr. High School in Peace River. As part of the agreement, the new campus will offer high school cosmetology courses, as well as post-secondary training, for students in hair styling and esthetics.
ECA President Lina Heath says there are benefits to taking the training courses at Glenmary.
A partnership was recently announced between HFCRD and EvelineCharles Academy to offer hair-styling and esthetics courses at Peace River’s Glenmary School. L to R: HFCRD Superintendent Betty Turpin, ECA Founder & CEO Eveline Charles, ECA President Lina Heath, and HFCRD Board Chairperson Kelly Whalen. (Photo/Peace River Broadcasting)
“If they take cosmetology in high school,” Heath told a media scrum after the announcement. “They would then get a preferred pay rate if they work for our company, and we also recognize their hours within our post-secondary program. So, it’s going to be very motivating for the students to take it in high school, graduate, and then continue on within the post-secondary component.”
ECA’s founder and CEO, Evelyn Charles, has worked in industry for 40 years. She’s won many entrepreneurship awards over the years, including being named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2011. As well, EvelineCharles salons and spas have won Consumer Choise awards for the past seven years.
Having originally come from Falher, Charles says these types of educational partnerships are what helps to keep the smaller towns populated.
“A lot of smaller towns are shrinking, with lots of the kids leaving for the bigger cities,” Charles said. “But I think if there were more education and more courses offered in these communities, I think more students would stay.”
As well, the program won’t just be offered to Glenmary students, but to students across the region.
“Students from (Peace River High School) take courses in other schools,” said HFCRD Superintendent Betty Turpin. “Our students in Glenmary do as well. This was a golden opportunity for find a partner for our cosmetology program. We knew we wanted a new lab in our modernization. And when we found out that Eveline wanted to come back north, we were very ecstatic at this new opportunity.”
As well, the program’s not just open to high school students.
“It’ll also be open to mature students too,” said Ms. Charles. “It could be students out of school for two to three years that wants to take hair styling, or esthetics. They could be stay-at-home moms who now want careers.”
“Our adult students can range from 18 to 60 years old,” Heath added. “We have full-time programs for those pursuing a career, but we also offer part-time programs for people wanting to hone their careers, or even those wanting to enhance their careers.”
ECA’s new Peace River Campus is the first one to be located outside of Edmonton and Calgary.
The new lab will be located where the present offices and chapel are located at the school. It’s part of the $7.5-million modernization that will be bring various new classrooms and labs to the school.
As well as the new Cosmetology lab, the renovated Glenmary building will include various science labs, a food studies lab, Career Technology Studies (CTS) labs for welding, millwrighting and carpentry, a new school office, staff room, chapel and meetings rooms, a modernized front entrance, an art room, as well as modernized classrooms, a library, as well as a music room.
According to a HFCRD press release, the new partnership with ECA is the first of many in relation to the modernization.
– Posted by BET
