The apprenticeship program for Estheticians is not going to be safe or practical for the public and the industrty as a whole.

Currently, there are many Spas and other establishments that are not licensed or qualified based on current licensing regulations of Virginia to carry out the services they offer by that I mean we come across many individuals who contact us telling us they either were not aware of the licensing regs or they chose not to pursue their education to acquire licenses and continue to practice without license and they have managed o go under the radar of regulatory agencies! This means the apprentices will be possibly working under the hands of these unqualified individuals which has its risks and consequences encouraging the unprofessionalism and lack of knowledge needed to treat and handle clients and consumers.

Virginia raised the bar by implementing the licensing regulations in 2007 which was a great move to bring the standards higher like the other states or other countries, by allowing apprenticeship programs in this state we are allowing the standards to sink again.. if there is a need to simplify the training for individuals who need to work perhaps the board could consider lowering the hours and combining the basic and master program into one 900 hour program.

I have been an Esthetician for over 30 years with experience in working in the Uk and Ausstralia where they require two years of training to be able to work as skin care specialists.

I would be more than happy to give feed backs and expert opinion if needed.

I appreciate your time and attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Shiva Vahid