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MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
As a result of StudentAidBC challenges, EvelineCharles close Vancouver Campus
Despite closure, brand still remains committed to grow industry leaders in Western Canada
with its two solid Alberta locations in Edmonton and Calgary
EDMONTON, ALBERTA (November 29, 2011) - EvelineCharles, an internationally recognized Salon│Spa│Academy industry leader faced the tough decision to close EvelineCharles Academy Vancouver Campus last week. Eveline Charles, a highly driven and successful entrepreneur, had the intention to operate a viable hair and beauty institute in the international city and B.C. market. The leading city of the West will now go without the worldly recognized and exclusive affiliations: International Certification (ITEC) and Sassoon Connection School education.
"It has been very difficult and emotional for all of us at EvelineCharles to close this school. But in lieu of the ongoing challenges and difficulties with how private post-secondary institutions achieved designation in B.C., and with the impact on current and prospective students our top concern, we were forced to make the business decision to close our Vancouver location," says Eveline Charles, CEO and Founder.
When the company was considering opening a private career training institution in B.C., in the spring of 2010, they investigated the requirements for private post-secondary institutions through Private Career Training Institutions Agency of British Columbia (PCTIA) and StudentAid BC (SABC). At that time, the company was advised that the condition for designation was accreditation. Again in the fall of 2010, at the time they were actively recruiting the first class of students, further conversations with SABC were held, and again were told that designation was based on accreditation. It was not until the spring of 2011, a full year after opening, that it learned (and notably not through a representative from SABC but instead from a representative of PCTIA) that a second requirement for private institutions to achieve designation status was a continuous period of operation of at least two-years prior to applying for designation
"Had we known of this policy or policy change, we would have been able to take the necessary actions at that time either to adjust program offerings, recruitment strategy, or simply make informed decisions about how best to operate given the new circumstances," says Charles. "By insisting that private institutions operate without the aid of designation for two years, SABC is not only creating an insurmountable barrier for students who wish to pursue certain programs, they are also establishing a significant barrier to enter into the private career training industry, an industry that generates considerable economic gain for the province."
The company goes on to explain that if the only way for a private institution to exist prior to designation, other than to have extremely deep pockets, is to offer inexpensive, short-duration programs that students can afford without financial assistance, this policy creates an environment that limits the post-secondary options for those traditionally under-represented segments of society student aid is intended to assist, and does nothing to foster equality of access, which is in opposition to the desired effect. Currently, the only business model that could survive the one year process for accreditation and the two year process for designation, are businesses that have a primary salon/spa operation with a secondary focus as an academy.
EvelineCharles sought and supports the rationale behind the two-years-in-operation policy: Tax payer and consumer protection. But given EvelineCharles has been in business for over 30 years, the brand has extensive operations across Western Canada that includes nine high-end salons, spas, and medi-spas, as well as had three academies.
EvelineCharles Academy in Vancouver had two sister schools in Edmonton and Calgary that offer the exact same programs and which are designated. The Edmonton campus has been designated for nearly seven years, has graduated hundreds of students, and with the Calgary campus, which just sat its first class in August of 2011, already designated, supports the fact that EvelineCharles offers superior education and that it will remain. As a result, B.C. students were leaving the province to go study at Alberta campuses because, although the same program was available to them at the Vancouver Academy, they were prevented from pursuing it in their home province because of the financial barrier created by the two-year waiting period. This limits options for students who wish to remain in the province at a detriment to the B.C. economy. Surely these factors must bear some weight in the risk assessment process inherent in this component of the SABC mandate.
The Academy most recently hosted an event in the location that brought in representation from nearly 80 salons/spas eager to find out more about the next generation on industry leaders. Charles says, "I'm looking forward to expanding our reach and offerings at our Alberta schools which offer attractive provincial and federal government student loans, flexible payment structures and an exciting bursary for both in province and out of province students."
For more information on EvelineCharles Academy visit: www.ECAcademy.com, facebook.com/ EvelineCharles Academy and/or Twitter: @ECAcademy.
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For further information on EvelineCharles Academies or to book an interview with brand representatives, please contact Jacqueline Tyler, EvelineCharles PR coordinator by email, jacqueline@ecacademy.com or by phone, 403. 476.0599 or 403. 669.6606.
About EC Academy
Founded: November 2005
EvelineCharles Academy was designed to raise the level of education of future industry leaders in the fields of cosmetology (hair design), esthetics, medical esthetics and make-up. The NAIT business training program has been integrated into the curriculum to foster future business owners graduating from the EvelineCharles Academy. Both the Calgary and Edmonton Academy educate students from all over the country where in return; also meet the needs of the cities ever-growing fashion and beauty industry.
About EvelineCharles Salon│Spa│Beauty MD
Nine locations across Alberta and British Columbia including: The CORE Shopping Centre, Market Mall and Southcentre in Calgary, Alberta; Edmonton City Centre, South Edmonton Common, Southgate Mall and West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta and Orchard Park Centre and Playa Del Sol in Kelowna, British Columbia.
About Eveline Charles
Eveline Charles founded EvelineCharles Salons │ Spas in 1984 with a single location in Edmonton, Alberta. Armed with both passion and determination, Charles has now grown her empire to include nine locations in Western Canada, two EvelineCharles Academies and 10 signature private label product lines.
BACKGROUNDER:
Situation Analysis
To offer more information on the previous position of EvelineCharles Academy Vancouver and the current situation with StudentAid BC (SABC) designation, history is below.
In respect to the SABC Policy Manual, it is clear there are consequently inconsistencies between the guiding principles on which the idea of student funding is based and the subsequent policies meant to uphold them.
Specifically, a lack of transparency when dealing with SABC; varying policy application which amounts to nothing less than a glaring double-standard in the world of post-secondary education in BC; and three principles in particular, found in the SABC Policy Manual, Introduction, Student Aid BC Principles, page two, that are contradicted by certain policies found within the same manual. To reference, principle one states that, "There should be equality of access to post-secondary education; limited financial resources should not be a barrier." The third principle indicates that the goal of financial aid is to, "Seek to provide assistance to those most in need." And finally, principle six claims that, "Financial aid, should encourage a post-secondary education for traditionally under-represented segments of society through initiatives to eliminate barriers."
As a new school, EvelineCharles was primarily concerned with how private post-secondary institutions achieved designation in BC, more so than with the policies in place to maintain it. To speak to this area of concern first, EvelineCharles had been in the process of applying for designation, and the degree of frustration the school experienced was significant. When the company was considering opening a private career training institution in BC, in the spring of 2010, they investigated the requirements for private post-secondary institutions through PCTIA (Private Career Training Institutions Agency of British Columbia) and SABC. At that time, they the company was advised that the condition for designation was accreditation. Again in the fall of 2010, at the time they were actively recruiting the first class of students, further conversations with SABC were held, and again were told that designation was based on accreditation. It was not until the spring of 2011, a full year after opening, that it learned (and notably not through a representative from SABC but instead from a representative of PCTIA) that a second requirement for private institutions to achieve designation status was a continuous period of operation of at least two-years prior to applying for designation. Shortly after this discovery, through a conversation this time with SABC, they were told that this two-year requirement was put into effect after the school had opened.
This proved extremely problematic. EvelineCharles believes policies such as this two-year operational requirement should be transparent to anyone entering this market sector, and policy changes should not be effective retroactively. When the company entered this industry in BC it committed to abide by a set of conditions and to operate within a set of known parameters, and had done so, but since those terms have been changed mid-stream. If, during the course of one of its many earlier conversations with SABC, they had been informed of this policy or policy change, they would have been able to take the necessary actions at that time, either to adjust program offerings, recruitment strategy, or simply make informed decisions about how best to operate given the new circumstances. They perhaps would have offered more part-time, short-term courses, which are less expensive and do not require additional funding, rather than beginning with long-term, full-time, career training options, which are priced outside of the range affordable to most students, in many cases the very students the principles above are designed to assist, protect, and benefit. Regardless of the approach taken, EvelineCharles would have done so fully informed of the facts. Often it is the case that hair and beauty programs appeal to those under-represented segments of the population spoken of in the principles above, yet the retroactivity of this policy change all but prevents offering to them the unique, full-time career training programs aimed to provide for another year because the financial barriers are simply too great.
However, not only does EvelineCharles feel that the retroactivity of the policy change is unacceptable, but the policy itself is questionable. By insisting that private institutions operate without the aid of designation for two years, SABC is not only creating an insurmountable barrier for students who wish to pursue certain programs, they are also establishing a significant barrier to enter into the private career training industry, an industry that generates considerable economic gain for the province. Further, if the only way for a private institution to exist prior to designation, other than to have extremely deep pockets, is to offer inexpensive, short-duration programs that students can afford without financial assistance, this policy creates an environment that limits the post-secondary options for those traditionally under-represented segments of society student aid is intended to assist, and does nothing to foster equality of access, which is in opposition to the desired effect.
EvelineCharles sought and supports the rationale behind the two-years-in-operation policy: Tax payer and consumer protection. However, did not agree that two-years of continuous operations was the only way to assess the associated risk. As a company, EvelineCharles has been in business for over 30 years. The brand has extensive operations across western Canada that includes nine high-end salons, spas, and medi-spas, as well as had three academies. EvelineCharles Academy in Vancouver had two sister schools in Alberta, schools which offer the EXACT SAME PROGRAMS and which are designated. In fact, the Edmonton campus has been designated for many years, while the Calgary campus, which just sat its first class in August of 2011, is already designated. BC students were leaving the province to go study at Alberta campuses because, although the same program was available to them in BC, they were prevented from pursuing it in their home province because of the financial barrier created by the two-year waiting period. This limits options for students who wish to remain in the province at a detriment to the BC economy. The campus in Edmonton has been open six years, has graduated hundreds of students, and has the designation history and graduate employment statistics to support the fact that EvelineCharles offers quality education and that they will remain. Surely these factors must bear some weight in the risk assessment process inherent in this component of the SABC mandate.
EvelineCharles Academy considered the choice to withstand the two-year wait to secure designation in the province of BC, but knew it would have faced the prospect of maintaining designation. To this end, EvelineCharles supports the use of student-outcomes surveys in conjunction with loan default rates as the key determinants to on-going designation. They were adamantly though opposed to default rates as the sole factor considered. Revoking a school's designation, and thereby access to funding support for future students, does not foster a post-secondary environment based on "equality of access to post-secondary education," where "limited financial resources are not a barrier." In contrast, EvelineCharles felt penalized generations of future students hoping to enter the programs that these schools offer by eliminating a key source of funding for them, based entirely on the actions of a previous generation of students. The net effect is in stark contrast to the intent of the guiding principles. Further, this policy holds schools responsible for the behaviours of prior students, behaviours over which the school has no control nor means with which to follow-up. It hinders the ability of schools to continue offering these programs and thereby reduces, rather increasing, the accessibility of post-secondary education. It directly opposes the sixth principle, which is to "eliminate barriers," by instead, again, creating them.
Further, EvelineCharles support the idea of designation by program, not by school, so that a school in jeopardy of losing designation for one program may still maintain designation for other programs achieving stronger student-outcomes and repayment results.
De-designation by school penalizes the many for the actions of the few, and in no way helps to achieve the ends that student aid was created to achieve.
In general, EvelineCharles is strongly committed to the belief that, whatever policies are in place, they must be applied with consistency, fairness, and equality.
Public institutions are automatically designated which ensures the fact that private institutions are required to meet the educational standards set forth through the Ministry of Education, as monitored by PCTIA. Private institutions must prove they are meeting or exceeding this standard each and every year. At a time when funding to public education is being cut, when the demand for alternative education options is increasing, and when revenues to the province from the private education sector are sorely needed, it begs the question of bad business for SABC to adhere to a policy that legitimizes a double-standard that directly contradicts the principle of equality of access to post-secondary education. It creates an uneven playing field at a time when supporting diversity in educational options to increase access, not restrict it, would be to the benefit of all.
StudentAidBC (SABC) website: http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/studentaidbc/
StudentAidBC Policy Manual: http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/studentaidbc/schoolofficials/documents/policy_manual_09_10.pdf
Private Career Training Institutions Agency (PCTIA) website: http://www.pctia.bc.ca/
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