A new school year will bring expanded opportunities for area high school students looking for a career in the beauty industry.

When the new school year opens on Sept. 10, Capital Region BOCES will offer a sixth Cosmetology program classroom at its Career and Technical Education (CTE) Extension Center,  allowing for two additional sections of students to enter the program.

There are more than 100 high school juniors currently enrolled in the program along with 92 seniors.

CTE Director Jeff Palmer said the additional classroom made sense as BOCES awaits final approval to offer a Barbering Program that is expected to launch in time for the 2027-28 school year.

“The addition of a new Cosmetology classroom this school year is made possible by the completion of the new salon-style instructional space at our Extension Center. While that space was intentionally designed to support the future launch of a Barbering program, it also provides us with a short-term opportunity to address the longstanding waitlist for Cosmetology,” Palmer said.

Cosmetology remains one of the most popular CTE programs among the 29 offered at Capital Region BOCES. It annually has a waitlist of dozens of students unable to immediately enter the program because of a lack of space.

Even with the new classroom and two new sections, more than 20 area high school students are on a waitlist for the program for the coming school year.

Offered at the Schoharie and Albany (including the CTE Extension Center), the two-year Cosmetology program provide students with 1,000 hours of training and experience in preperation for the New York state licensure exam. The experience prepares students to enter the workforce upon graduation or to go to college and have a leg up on future business competitors.