Barber schools combing nation for new students

The number of people interested in becoming barbers is on the decrease, and without an effective image strategy targeted at young people, barber training schools are finding it difficult to attract students.

While the job of beautician has been enjoying a vogue, vocational schools specializing only in training barbers are having difficulties in meeting their intake quotas, forcing some to consider closing down.

With this trend, "kao o ataru," a once common Japanese expression meaning "to shave one's face at a barber shop," is becoming obsolete. Given the harsh reality it is facing, the barbering industry has been trying hard to pass the tradition and benefits of being a barber down to the younger generation. But there are no signs of any renaissance for the industry.

Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry statistics show that the number of people taking the national exam to become beauticians between 2002 and 2006 was in the range of 39,649 to 46,367 people a year.

In contrast, the number for those taking the barber exam has been steadily decreasing and is now only one-tenth of the figure for the beautician test, standing at 4,293 in 2006, down by more than 20 percent compared to 5,547 in 2002.

In Tokyo, there are now only two vocational colleges specializing in training barbers.

One of them, Central Barbers College in Shinjuku Ward, is offering a beautician course in spring.

A decade ago, the college had nearly 300 students, now it has about 40, making it difficult for the school to survive just by teaching the barber course.

Yoshio Ibe, the head of the other academy, Tokyo Riyo Senshu College in Chiyoda Ward, said, "The beautician industry has so-called charismatic hairdressers, but we've never heard of anyone like that in the barbering industry."

"Probably the barber industry lacks an image strategy to appeal to young people," he added.
One of the victims of this lack of image is the Yamanashi Barber Training School in Kofu. With only 10 of its 40 student openings filled, the college has decided to close down next autumn, which will affect its 20 lecturers and trainers.

The academy has been redirecting applicants to Tokyo schools.

Some academies that offer both beautician and barber courses are not meeting their intake quotas for the barber course either.

Hair & Beauty Academy Yokohama in Yokohama stopped accepting applications for the barber course from the last year, while Gifu Beauty College in Gifu made the same decision two years ago.

But some schools are battling to regain lost ground.

Sakushin Hair Beauty College in Utsunomiya last month held a fashion show at its affiliated school, Sakushin Gakuin High School, inviting a barber who had won a prize for haircutting at a national competition.

The college staff member in charge of the show said, "We want young people to know that working as a barber requires technical skills, and so it's an attractive occupation that can realize a lifelong career."

Kobe Barber and Beauty College in Kobe for the past several years has been sending lecturers to high schools in Okayama, Hiroshima and other prefectures, to promote the school and tell students what it is like to work as a barber.

However, barbering schools have yet to see a marked increase in the number of applicants and are still facing a serious shortage of new students.
(Nov. 20, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20061120TDY03002.htm