California Barbering and Cosmetology Apprenticeship Learning Center

California Barbering and Cosmetology Apprenticeship Learning Center is a nonprofit organization based in Sacramento, founded by Joe and Shirley McNealey and operating since 1998. Rather than a conventional classroom school, it runs an apprenticeship model: students work 32 to 42.5 hours per week in a licensed salon or barbershop while attending a related-instruction class once a week for six hours. The program is structured over two years and can be completed in about 21 months.

Related instruction meets Monday through Wednesday with some evening sessions, in classes of roughly 25 to 35 students supervised by two instructors. The center enrolls students from age 16 through adulthood and was established to serve young people, foster youth and single parents entering skilled trades. Training leads to licensure through the California State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology.