TALENT TOPICS
BY J A M I S O N S TO I K E
Working with Local Schools
LOOKING FOR NEW TALENT?
Here are five ways to work with local schools to
generate future spa industry professionals.
IF YOU STRUGGLE TO FIND QUALIFIED nail techs,
estheticians, stylists or massage therapists—or if you
struggle to replace them as quickly as they move on—
know that you’re not alone. The 2019 ISPA U.S. Spa
Industry Study reported that there were an estimated
28,420 unfilled service provider positions in the United
States as of May 2019; 54 percent of spas at the time
were actively trying to fill positions.
In the end, it’s a numbers game: there are too many
unfilled positions and not enough service providers to fill
them. For this reason, driving prospective service providers
into the spa industry is imperative to getting off the hiring
treadmill—and to do that, it can often be beneficial to
work with local massage and cosmetology schools.
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PULSE
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APRIL 2020
Every new student that graduates is a potential
longtime employee in your organization, so it behooves
you to work with your local schools to help lead fresh
faces into the industry. But how can you best help your
local schools? I met with the staff of Lexington Healing
Arts Academy, a massage, yoga and fitness school that’s
just a mile from ISPA’s headquarters, to discuss what ISPA
members can do to support their own local schools and
build lasting partnerships. According to them, here are five
things you can do to help drive workforce growth:
1.
Don’t Be Afraid to Start the Conversation
Productive partnerships don’t come out of the
ether: someone has to be the first to reach out.