Riverton nail tech program needs 300 hours to license; the class day supplies 183

Jordan School District featured the nail technology program at its JATC South campus in Riverton on the district's Supercast podcast, in an episode posted Oct. 29 18. The district's description of the episode says students learn manicures, pedicures, nail extensions and nail art, and that they serve the public during the training hours required for a state license 1.

The course is set out in its 2026-27 disclosure document, which describes a state-approved course covering manicures, pedicures, gel polish, hard gel and acrylic enhancements, nail art, sanitation and infection control, and business and career readiness, with a significant share of class time spent serving real clients 2. The academy's program page lists Erin Hardy and Dannon Sumsion as the program's instructors 4.

Utah law sets the credential. Under section 58-11a-302.20 of the Utah Code, a person may not practice nail technology without a nail technology license, and an applicant must complete a curriculum of at least 300 hours of instruction covering manicures and pedicures and artificial nails at a licensed or recognized school, or complete an approved apprenticeship 3.

The disclosure document states the gap directly: "Regular class attendance alone will NOT provide enough hours to reach the 300-hour licensing requirement." It puts the figure for perfect attendance at 183 hours 2.

The remaining hours come from outside the regular class period. Students are required to take part in extra sessions, which the disclosure document lists as Client Nights beginning after Labor Day on Monday through Thursday from roughly 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., recommended at least once a week with the schedule drawn by lottery; SkillsUSA competition; student ambassador work; volunteer events and nail expos 2. Students who finish the school year short of hours can enroll in summer school in June, at tuition of approximately $300 to $350 2.

Licensing runs through the state. Students must pass a written examination and a practical examination with a minimum score of 70 percent on each, administered through ProV testing and coordinated with the Utah Division of Professional Licensing, and must submit the required documentation to DOPL 2. The academy's program page states that the school does not administer the licensing exam, and that instructors prepare students and guide them through the application 4.

The price of the class is listed in the district's 2026-27 JATC fee schedule: $760 in required fees and $706 in optional fees for nail technology, stated as maximum amounts per student for the class, which the schedule says may not be what a student is billed 5. Once program fees are paid, students receive a nail kit containing acrylic and hard gel products, brushes, implements, a mannequin hand and salon supplies, and may buy separately a carrying case, an electric file, an LED or UV lamp, a dust collector or additional polish colors 2.

The program's clients come from the public. The district advertised in June that students in the JATC nail tech, barbering and hair design programs would take appointments at the JATC South campus at 12723 South Park Ave. in Riverton, booked by telephone at 801-412-1300 6. JATC South, described by the academy as just off 12600 South near 2000 West, houses barbering, hair design, nail technician, emergency medical technician, fire science, welding, criminal justice, horticulture, natural resources, landscape architecture and teacher education programs 7.

The district's episode description also says the program in some cases helps students pay for college; the documents reviewed for this report do not describe how 1.

Neither the district's post nor the program's own pages state how many students are enrolled, when the next cohort begins, or what share of students complete the 300 hours and go on to licensure 12.