New Illinois Law Allows Barbers and Cosmetologists to Learn and Earn

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.—A new Illinois law will allow residents to earn money while they are learning the skills necessary to become licensed barbers, cosmetologists, estheticians, braiders, or nail technicians. HB 3460, signed into law by Gov. Pritzker, establishes a new apprenticeship program to build the necessary educational hours to apply for a license.

The Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Law School worked closely with lawmakers writing the legislation and organized hopeful apprentices to pass the bill.While most students find that cosmetology school is the right path for them, thousands of aspiring beauty professionals are either unable to afford the costs of formal schooling or unable to sacrifice time to schooling that could be spent earning a wage.

“For the first time in over 40 years, those who found cosmetology education too far out of reach will have a new pathway to a rewarding career while they support themselves and their loved ones” said Noah Bazis, the Clinic’s Illinois Legislative Strategist. “HB 3460 means that no beauty professional in Illinois will have to choose between making money for their loved ones today or building their career for the future.”

In Illinois, it takes 1,500 hours of education before someone can earn money as a barber, a process that can take over two years part-time and cost thousands of dollars. Many students struggle to complete this education or take on debt that weighs them down as they enter the field.With the passage of HB 3460, salons may hire apprentices and train them in the same curriculum required by the state under the supervision of licensed professionals while apprentices earn a wage as they work toward licensure.

Illinois joins 40 other states in providing an apprenticeship pathway for beauty and barbering licenses.