Signature Two Company · Six Greater Milwaukee Supercuts salons
Cosmetology Apprenticeship
Earn income while you train for your Wisconsin cosmetology license.
Since 2018, Signature Two Company has sponsored state-registered cosmetology apprenticeships in our salons in Glendale, Greenfield, Menomonee Falls, Mequon, Waukesha and West Bend. You learn on the job – on your feet, working with your hands – from our technical trainers, managers and experienced stylists, through one-on-one coaching and supervised practice on real guests.
Cosmetology is full-service hair – cuts, color and styling for men, women and children – and the license also covers skin and nails.
Enrolling in a licensed apprentice program and seeing it through to the end is a big commitment. Please read this information carefully before you reach out.
The commitment at a glance
Full-time
36–40 hours a week
Program length
Typically two to two and a half years
Pay
$12/hour to start, with more as your skills progress and you earn guest tips
Your cost
About $2,500 for technical college tuition, books and materials
School
Two or three spring and fall semesters, one day a week – Mondays, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Schedule
Shifts as early as 8:00 a.m. and as late as 8:00 p.m., including weekends
License
A Wisconsin apprentice license, issued by the state, is required before the apprenticeship can begin
How it works
We take on only a few apprentices each year, so each one gets our full attention. Getting there takes several steps, and after each one, we both decide whether to keep going.
Getting started
1
Reach out. Read this page, then text or email me and tell me what made you want to take the next step.
2
Talk. A phone call, then a meeting at one of our salons, where I walk through the apprenticeship in detail.
3
Shadow our team. Spend a few hours watching the work up close, as an observer.
4
Receptionist trial. A paid, part-time job – front desk and salon support, with no services. You learn how a salon runs, and we look for strong performance, professionalism and teamwork. The trial typically runs 6–12 weeks.
The apprenticeship
5
Apply and get licensed. If the trial goes well, we may invite you to apply. Together we apply to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) to approve the apprenticeship, and to the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) for your apprentice license. DWD approval often comes within a few days. The DSPS license can take days to months, depending on your situation. Once both are in place, we sign the DWD apprenticeship contract and get started.
6
Train and work. Technical training begins with our trainers, managers and stylists, along with outside educators from Regis Corporation and our product vendors. You work toward supervised, paid services on salon guests – typically starting with haircuts and adding services as your skills grow.
7
School. You register for, and pay for, the required classes at MATC, MPTC or Gateway Technical College, typically starting in the fall (late August) or spring (early January) semester. Full attendance is required.
8
Finish and license. When your 3,712 sponsor hours and 288 school hours are complete, you apply for a temporary permit so you can keep providing services while you prepare for the two state licensing exams. Pass both, and you've earned your permanent Wisconsin cosmetology license.
Pay
You start at $12 an hour, both in the receptionist trial and as a new apprentice. As your skills grow and you begin serving guests, your pay grows with earned wage increases and tips.
It leads to a real career. Our top stylists earn more than $80,000 a year, and our apprentice graduates include salon managers and a salon owner.
Two paths to the same license
Wisconsin law sets two paths to a cosmetology license: 1,550 hours of cosmetology school, or 4,000 hours of registered apprenticeship (3,712 hours on the job and 288 hours of technical college instruction). Both lead to the same two state exams and the same license.
Future Professional
School1,550 hoursTuition-based
Apprenticeship4,000 hoursPaid employment
Two state board exams
Permanent Wisconsin Cosmetology License
The biggest difference: with school, you pay, and you finish much sooner. With an apprenticeship, we pay you, but it takes much longer.
Compare
School
Apprenticeship
Hours required
1,550
4,000 – 3,712 in the salon, 288 at technical college
Typical length
About one year, full-time
Two to two and a half years, full-time
Your cost
Varies – $10,000 to $22,000 for tuition, kit and books; financial aid may be available
About $2,500 for technical college; we provide your professional tools and materials
Pay while training
None
$12/hour to start, plus wage increases and tips as your skills grow
Where you train
A school's student salon, typically at one campus
Our working salons, across six locations
Who you work alongside
Fellow students, guided by instructors
Licensed professionals, serving our guests
Classes
Full-time at the school
One day a week at MATC, MPTC or Gateway Technical College
You finish when
Your school hours are complete
Your salon hours and your classes are both complete
An apprenticeship may fit you if you need to earn while you learn, you learn best by doing, and you're ready for a full-time commitment of two-plus years. School may fit you if you want to finish sooner, or you'd rather complete your training before working in a salon.
Our area has strong cosmetology schools – MATC, MPTC, WCTC, Gateway, Empire, IBW, Paul Mitchell and others. I serve on advisory committees at several of them, and we hire their graduates.
Whatever path you choose, ask:
How much of my training will be on real guests?
How much clipper cutting and men's cutting will I do?
How much hands-on experience will I get with every type of hair, including tightly coiled hair?
What it takes
A strong interest in hair and a desire to build a long-term career in cosmetology
Commitment to excellent guest service and professional conduct
The physical stamina for the work – standing for long periods, repetitive motion, handling tools safely
At least 17 years old
Able to work 36–40 hours a week (state rules require at least 32; we require more)
Available for shifts Mon–Thu 8:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m., Fri–Sat 8:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m., Sun 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Reliable transportation to our salons and training locations
Registration for, payment of, and full attendance at the required technical college classes
Compliance with all of our employment requirements and all Wisconsin DWD and DSPS apprenticeship requirements
What we bring, what you bring
We bring
Salon operations training – guest service, systems and daily workflow
Hands-on technical training – cutting, styling, chemical services, waxing, skin and nail care – including every state-required apprentice competency
A personal development plan, reviewed at least quarterly, with regular coaching and feedback
Wage increases and tips as your skills grow
Professional tools and materials
A schedule that reasonably accommodates occasional personal conflicts – child care, appointments, family commitments
Records of your training and every service you perform
You bring
Excellent attendance – at the salon and at school
A strong work ethic and steady effort to learn and improve
Your technical college tuition, books and materials (some reimbursement may be available through the State of Wisconsin)
Commitment to our employment requirements and the state's apprenticeship requirements
Everyone is welcome
Everyone is welcome and valued for who you are. You be you.
That includes people with prior justice involvement, including felony convictions. We proudly employ – and have long employed – successful stylists and managers with felony records, and we've helped many people through the state's licensing review. A record never influences our hiring decisions.
On our first call, I ask every apprentice candidate about prior drug- or alcohol-related justice involvement. Your answer never influences our decision – I ask only because DSPS requires full disclosure on the apprentice license application, and its review can add months to the timeline, even for minor or long-ago involvement. Talking early lets us plan for it together, and we're very good at helping people through the obstacles in the DSPS licensing review. DSPS conducts that review on behalf of the Wisconsin Cosmetology Examining Board, and the licensing decision belongs to the Board, not to us.
Ready to take the next step?
If you've read all of this and still want it, I want to hear from you. Text or email me, and tell me what made you want to take the next step.
Information on this page is accurate as of October 8, 2026. Signature Two Company sponsors a registered apprenticeship with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD). DWD sets apprenticeship requirements, and the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) and the Wisconsin Cosmetology Examining Board set licensing requirements. Those requirements, and technical college schedules and costs, can change – current information from these sources supersedes this page.
School costs, program lengths and hours are typical ranges, not quotes. Pay figures reflect our current starting wage and the actual earnings of some of our stylists; individual earnings vary and aren't guaranteed.
This page describes our program; it isn't an offer of employment or a contract. Participation depends on our hiring process, DWD approval of the apprenticeship and DSPS issuing your apprentice license – decisions we don't control.
Signature Two Company is an equal opportunity employer. Each of our Supercuts salons is independently owned and operated by Signature Two Company, a Supercuts franchisee.
