Saturday November 7, 2009

Training locals for the lucrative hairstyling trade

Stories by STUART MICHAEL

MALAYSIANS are being trained to take over from foreigners working in hair salons and barber shops around the country.

According to City and Guild School of Management Sdn Bhd chief operating officer G. Alagan, the Human Resources Ministry has appointed his company to conduct a programme for Malaysians who want to learn hairstyling.

Watching attentively: Trainer Gopal Rao Simmajalam (seated) demonstrating to the trainees how hair should be cut.

“We had 100 students in our first batch. The classes started on June 1 and will end on Dec 15,” he said, adding that almost 80% of their students were from Hulu Selangor district, where Indians constituted a big majority.

“Hairstyling is a big business and we want to flood the market with local barbers and hairstylists to end the foreigners’ domination of the market.

“This is a lucrative business. A barber can earn RM3,000 to RM5,000 every month,” he said.

“After the students have completed the course, many of them might open their own hair salon immediately. Some are already thinking of opening their own hair salon in their own hometown or village,” said Alagan, who claimed that most barbers in Malaysia had only learnt the trade through experience and were not formally trained nor certified to cut hair.

The six-month programme is being held in Bukit Sentosa, Rawang. After four months of theory, the students are sent to a barber shop or hair salon for their practical training. Four trainers — Gopal Rao Simmajalam, C. Selvam, Prikash Rao and Sebastian Raybail — are conducting the course.

Each student is given a monthly allowance of RM500 and provided with free accommodation about 100 metres from the training centre. Each is also supplied with a personal hair-cutting kit. The classes are held from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday, with weekends off.

Tools of the trade: The haircutting kit given to the trainees.

The topics covered in the course syallabus include tools and equipment, combining hair and sectioning, holding the scissors and combs, hair-cutting technique, hairstyling and how to hold a hairdryer.

On completing the course, the students will be placed with a barber shop or hair salon where they will work full-time.

Alagan added that he wanted the Hulu Selangor District Council (MDHS) to support their programme by issuing barber shop licences only to locals with a certificate in hairstyling.

“In the Bukit Beruntung area, there are eight barber shops, all of which are managed by foreigners. And, most of the kedai gunting rambut are run by foreigners from India.

“There is a huge market for locals to tap, and offers a new career for locals. In fact, we have 44 salons that are willing to employ our students.

“We hope that the Human Resources Ministry will continue with the programme next year so that more people can be trained.

“In fact, about 80 people have already registered for the second intake,” he said.

Those interested in taking the course may call Alagan at 014-669 1063.