How an IDM-CIDESCO Diploma Can Take Your Career to Heights

 IDM stands for International Diploma in Makeup; CIDESCO (Comité International d'Esthétique ET de Cosmetology) on the other hand is an international certifying body based in Switzerland, valid in over 35 countries. VLCC is an institution giving a wonderful opportunity to all the budding Make-Up Artists to pursue, IDM (course designed by VLCC) along with CIDESCO certification.

 

The reasons this wonderful combination of two programmes is capable of making you succesful are listed below:

 

1. International Accreditation: One of the most important and valuable benefits of pursuing IDM CIDESCO is the international accreditation it gives. The Diploma being valid in some major developed countries not only brings you once in a lifetime opportunities but also adds a star to your resume.

 

2.Boosts Confidence & Creativity: Well, a diploma coming with so much value and importance wouldn’t be easy to achieve. The examination process of the course is a tough nut to crack and includes an international examiner judging your work. The students have to show their best, with themes like Catwalk, Fantasy, Black&White etc, which not only boosts their confirdence but brings out the creativity too.

 

3.Swearing by hygiene: Another word for IDM CIDESCO could be MAKEUP WITH HYGIENE. The course inculcates hygienic practices among students so well that they continue the same while working professionally too and always stand out because of this quality. Be it using diposable mascara wands or sterilising the brushes before use, the course teaches you everything you need to know.

 

4.Comprehensive Knowledge: Another factor that makes this course stand out is the fact that it not only teaches every aspect(practical & theoretical) of make-up but gives you and overall knowledge of hair, skin & nutrition too. There aren’t very many MUAs possessing a detailed knowledge of skin and nutrition, so this weapon would always help you crack toughest interviews and opportunities.

 

So, if you are looking to be a successful make-up artist, then IDM-CIDESCO is the answer to all your questions.

PURSUE IDM AND ADD A STAR TO YOUR CAREER

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Vandana Luthra Founder of VLCC Healthcare Limited

The founder, Mrs. Vandana Luthra, is awarded the Padma shri in 2013 for her contribution and is listed as the 33rd most powerful woman in business in India by Fortune India, in 2015. Along with these accolades, she was also appointed as the Chairperson of the beauty & Wellness Sector Skill Council by the Indian government. Furthermore, she is a General Body Member of the New Delhi-based Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga. The Steering Committee and the Sub-Committee formed by India’s Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship on the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana also has her as an active member.

But nothing happens in one day. Vandana and VLCC didn't happen overnight. A homemaker initially, Vandana started her journey in 1989 when the first of her two daughters was only 3 years-old and today a grandmother to three kids, Vandana still lives her dream.

Remembering her days of struggle, she says, “When I started, there were hardly any women entrepreneurs in India. It was a male-dominated environment. I had to face a lot of criticism, a lot of people tried to ensure that I did not succeed and grow. The only thing I believed in was that my concept was unique, unusual and it was being introduced in India for the first time.

https://www.vlccinstitute.com/

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The queen of wellness in India – Dr Vandana Luthra

Pioneering in an area which was not established as a market at all and truly following her passion despite all the criticisms and hardships, Vandana Luthra has marked a tremendous journey with VLCC.

Today VLCC is a household name. However, when Luthra embarked on this journey, a wellness centre was unheard of. So much so that, in her initial years she faced tremendous challenges educating people about and opening them up to the idea of adopting wellness regimes and initiative in their lives.

“When I started, there were hardly any women entrepreneurs. It was a male-dominated environment. I had to face a lot of criticism, a lot of people tried to ensure that I did not succeed and grow. The only thing I believed in was that my concept was unique, unusual and it was being introduced in India for the first time,” she says.

Right from its inception, she was clear to focus her brand around health and wellness rather than glamour. She believed strongly on the dire need of including wellness in our lives. The centre was conceptualized and operated as a clinic and continues to do so even today.

So, what inspired her to follow the path of wellness?
Luthra had grown up looking at her mother helping people around feel better. She was an Ayurvedic doctor running a charitable initiative – ‘Amar Jyoti’. Luthra wanted to help people too but took it a notch further.

“I loved the idea of impacting someone’s life and making things better for them.”
She ideated about presenting her clients with a holistic approach by adding beauty to wellness. She laid importance on nutrition, physical health and grooming to be combined together.

She wanted to create a holistic centre where the customer walks in and everything from the top to the toe is taken care of. Why keep running around and wasting time at different places when everything could be provided for at one.

After her graduation, she moved to Europe keeping her dream in mind. Across Germany, UK and France, she honed herself in the realm of beauty, nutrition, skin-care and fitness.

On her return, she started her VLCC journey in 1989 from New Delhi. Her in-laws were not very supportive in general, but she got the tables to turn with great difficulty.

Her husband was willing to fund her endeavor, however, Luthra wanted to stand on her own and financed VLCC from a small bank loan.

Today VLCC is not only a wellness centre but a training institute too. It houses a comprehensive portfolio of beauty and wellness products with operations in over 150 cities.

VLCC is now global covering 14 countries across Asia and Africa (first international centre opened in Dubai in 2005). It has two manufacturing units (at Haridwar and Singapore) and is all set for opening up in other continents soon too!

The unique idea and positioning of VLCC coupled with the passionate efforts of Vandana have made it such humungous success. So much so that, Luthra hit break-even in the first month itself when she opened her first centre back in the 80s.

More about the wonder-lady herself?
Luthra’s achievements have no bounds. She was awarded the Padma Shri recognition in 2013. The current government chose her to chair the Beauty & Wellness Sector Skill Council and rightly so. Her contribution in introducing the wellness industry to Indians is what truly sets her apart.

Moreover, Luthra was awarded as ‘Asia’s Greatest Brands & Leaders 2017’ and listed as the 33rd most powerful woman in business in India 2015 (by Fortune India).

She is also the proud author of two books namely – “Complete Fitness Programme” and “A Good Life”.

Luthra is extremely invested at VLCC, whether it is remembering the names of all her staff, randomly visiting stores across cities or interacting with her team to problem solve.

She is definitely one super grand mommy (yes, she is a grandmother of 3 now)! She keeps travelling to fairs across the world for R & D and updates on the latest trends in the industry.

She believes Indian women are all great managers. She says – “we have that inherent balancing act together and also the art of giving.” “We imbibe this from working long hours to get the family together at home, bringing up children etc.” This makes for great entrepreneurs!

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How The Era Has Changed For Women Entrepreneurs

Indian beauty industry is growing at a CAGR of 18.6% and is expected to cross Rs. 80,370 crores by 2018. Changes in consumer lifestyle, higher disposable income as well as awareness are some of the drivers for this growth. In spite this robust growth, the industry is still largely unorganized. Moreover, the biggest challenge for this sector is skilled manpower. It is estimated by 2022, the health and beauty sector alone will require a workforce of 12 million.

Given that the beauty and wellness sector employs more women than men, the industry also has potential to make significant contribution to women empowerment. To this end, the government of India has taken some laudable initiatives under the 'Skill India' mission, helping the beauty and wellness sector become more organized and create a pool of certified and skilled professionals.

Being a women entrepreneur in the late-eighties, trying to scale up in a highly unorganized industry domain like beauty & wellness services was one of my biggest challenges initially. Being in what was largely an unorganized sector, I struggled to raise capital, and banks were apprehensive of something that was hardly deemed as sustainable and scalable. Fortunately, times have changed dramatically, with the Government's proactive push to create entrepreneurship opportunities for by making banking finance more readily available for even the unorganized sector and through initiatives like Start up India and setting up of industry-led, government backed sector skill councils.

Today, the Beauty & Wellness is one of the key sectors that can provide employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to enhance women's control over financial, human & intellectual resources in society. However, organized players along with government need to build aspiration in the trade and provide support to women entrepreneurs both financially and emotionally.

Back in 2001, when skill development had not acquired the attention it has today, VLCC set up its first training institute for beauty and nutrition to ensure that young people acquired the skills that would help them get jobs and make careers in the Beauty and Wellness industry. Today, with 80 campuses, the VLCC Institute of Beauty & Nutrition is possibly the biggest chain of vocational education academies in this domain across Asia, where nearly 20,000 students graduate every year. It has trained over 52000+ students under 'Skill India' mission alone.

As the Chairperson of the Beauty &Wellness Sector Skill Council and Founder of VLCC, I can proudly say that we have been successful in creating a foundation for women entrepreneurs. Nearly half the women pass outs from our institutes have already become self-entrepreneurs. Not only that, 95% of staff at VLCC are women, 85% of students population at our institute are women. With such encouraging figures, I can clearly see a remarkable shift towards women contribution in this sector and hope to see more women entrepreneurs contributing to the growth of our country.

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