Long before Skill India Mission was launched or skilling the masses became
one of the primary focus areas of the government, VLCC—the beauty, health and
wellness major—had started its first skills training institute in the then
emerging area of beauty and wellness. The year was 2001, and since then the
company has set up and is running more than 75 campuses of its training arm,
the VLCC Institute of Beauty & Nutrition, across India and one in Nepal,
where over 15,000 students graduate every year. The institute is now looking to
expand further. “We will open training centres in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman,
Kenya and the UAE, apart from opening more centres in India,” says Deepanshu
Khurana, business head, Skill Development, VLCC Institute. In an interview with
FE’s Vikram Chaudhary, he adds that entrepreneurship, which often leads to
women empowerment in this sector, is one of the key areas that the training
centres focus on. Excerpts:
What kind of courses does the VLCC Institute provide?
We offer both entry-level as well as skill enhancement courses in beauty and
wellness. Students are primarily trained in
Hair,
make-up, skin, beauty, spa, nails and
Nutrition
categories.
Who form your students?
It’s primarily women. The VLCC Institute, through its skill development
courses, campus placements and job fairs, has created a platform for women to
become entrepreneurs.
Does the VLCC Institute work closely with the government?
We run the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme under the Pradhan
Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). RPL provides recognition to informal
learning or learning through work to get equal acceptance as formal levels of
education—it aims to appreciate prior learning irrespective of the medium of
achieving it. In addition, we have been working with several ministries,
government departments and school education boards to increase the pool of
skilled people in the area of beauty and wellness.
Where does beauty and wellness stand among the overall scheme of
things within Skill India?
The Beauty & Wellness Sector Skill Council is one of the top-rated
Sector Skill Councils (SSC) in the scheme of things the government has. It has
received awards for the best SSC. Because beauty and wellness, as a business
sector, is growing, it will need more and more trained people.
So will it be one of the major job creators, going forward?
It already is. The compounded annual growth rate of the beauty and wellness
business in India has been around 18% over the last five years. According to a
KPMG and NSDC report, about 78 lakh people were working in this industry in
2017. And of these 78 lakh employees, a majority are women. A sizeable number
of these women, as I said, turn entrepreneurs—because this industry itself
gives huge entrepreneurship opportunities.
Do you plan to open more centres?
Yes, we are looking at opening training centres in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
Oman, Kenya and the UAE, apart from opening more centres in India.
What kind of focus do you have on entrepreneurship at the VLCC
Institute?
Entrepreneurship is one of the key areas that we focus on. Around 30% of the
students who pass out from our institutes get into entrepreneurship. Some of
them become part of the VLCC network itself—either through the franchising
model or becoming a VLCC partner in a somewhat similar capacity.
Is there a need for a specialised university for this sector?
Yes, there should be. In fact, we are exploring an opportunity to start a
beauty
and Wellness University or an maybe institute on similar lines, in the near
future.
