Yesterday I visited The High Road to Education’s (HRTE) class in Anaheim, Calif., and it was great to see a collection of nail techs being so positive and collaborative in helping each other out. The HRTE is a traveling educational seminar, usually spanning two days, that teaches nail techs the fundamentals of nail services without being product specific.

This seminar was being held in INM’s training facility and while educator Rachel Mouritsen taught proper filing techniques, I got a chance to chat with Dottie Lore. This was Dottie’s second HRTE seminar, and she traveled all the way from Ontario, Ore., because, as she says, “There just isn’t anything like this where I’m from.”

For many techs, there aren’t many educational opportunities out there, and for many, the only chances are distributor workshops or manufacturer classes where the information is catered to specific products.

But after talking to the attendees, I learned how important it is for them that the HRTE isn’t product specific. “I love that they show you all the products,” said Angela Jones of Modesto, Calif. “It’s one of the best things about these seminars, because you don’t have anyone fighting over product preference. Everyone is just here to help each other out and share their experiences with any product, without trying to push you towards one product or another.”

The atmosphere seemed to be really positive as well. The group seemed to be about 25 techs strong, and most were staying at the local Best Western, where they hung out and talked after the classes.

Rachel Mouritsen summed up the value of the class saying, “You really get back to basics here. You’re learning great techniques from some of the best and most experienced educators across many different product lines, and it really is an improved education over what you learn in school.” The HRTE will be visiting Pittsburgh, Penn., in August, then over to Dallas, Texas, and Singapore in October.

— Tim