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L’Oréal Malaysia Helps Young Women Build a Better Life Through Beauty

After 12 months of training, 24 women between the ages of 16 and 20 graduated from L’Oréal Foundation’s Beauty for a Better Life programme, class of 2019 on 5th Dec 2019. Now certified hairdressers and makeup artists, these young women are ready to make their mark in the beauty industry!
Based on the belief that there is power in education, Beauty for a Better Life programme was first initiated by L’Oréal Malaysia in 2016 for the company to do its part in contributing towards empowering young women in the country through education. It provides them with high-quality, tuition-free training in the sectors of professional hairdressing and beauty care. Partnering with the National Council of Women’s Organisation (NCWO) through the YWCA Vocational Training Opportunity Centre (VTOC), it aims to educate young Malaysian women who do not have the opportunity to access decent education and to obtain a recognized certification in the field of hairdressing and beauty. Empowered with skills, these young women are able to gain motivation and self-respect, together with the means for professional integration into their respective communities.
The graduation ceremony was graced by Guest of Honour, Yang Berhormat Puan Hannah Yeoh, Deputy Minister of Women, Family & Community Development. She remarked that the Beauty for a Better Life programme complements the ministry’s efforts to develop underprivileged women by providing vocational training opportunities to those who cannot afford it. She also highlighted as the training is tuition-free, it eradicates the barrier for young women from poor families to gain a professional skill, and more importantly a means of living through employment or starting their own service business thereafter.

YB Yeoh continued to highlight that the government cannot, or at least not on their own to provide such vocational training unless they partner with people who excel in the industry such as L’Oréal to guide and mentor young women to find their place and remain connected in the marketplace.
Zaireen Ibrahim, Corporate Communications Director of L’Oréal Malaysia emphasized that L’Oréal is a global leader on beauty with a local spirit and it wants to give help where it matters the most. “In Malaysia, we are committed to giving back to communities through our various corporate social responsibility initiatives and one of which is Beauty for a Better Life. With this programme, our vision is to change the lives of young women by giving them the inspiration and high quality education for a career in beauty and hairdressing sector, hence helping them to earn a sustainable income for better livelihood. Since we started the programme, we have supported it by establishing the new training centre, training the trainers, providing motivation training, holding masterclasses with L’Oreal Professionnel and job matching for trainees after they graduate,” she said.

During the graduation ceremony at the YWCA Vocational Training Opportunity Centre in Kuala Lumpur, the class of 2019 graduates put their skills to practice by providing haircuts and makeup to students from SOLS 24/7 Academy of Innovation, a non-profit organization that focuses on education and empowerment of underserved communities. They included teenagers who are going for job interviews and could do with professional hairstyling and makeup to help them look confident for the jobs they are seeking!

The graduates this year included four young women from the indigenous community in Gua Musang, Kelantan. They have established outstanding performance throughout their training and three of them have already secured a job before their graduation.

For 18-year-old Amisha A/P Rudin from Gua Musang, Kelantan, receiving the Best Performance Award was a huge surprise. “I never expected to be chosen – it’s an honour for me and I’m thankful for the opportunity given by L’Oreal to pursue my dream of becoming a professional hairstylist. After completing PT3, I moved to Melaka in search of better opportunities before being introduced to the Beauty for a Better Life programme. Throughout the programme, I gained lots of experience and made many new friends. Despite our background differences, I became very close with my classmates, which is something I’ve never felt elsewhere.” Currently interning at a beauty salon in Seputeh, Kuala Lumpur, Amisha hopes to continue working there after she graduates, and eventually in future, open her own salon in Kuala Lumpur.

Outstanding Performance Trainee Award recipient Ramapriya Ramarao, 20, from Selekoh, Perak, shared that her life has changed for the better since joining the Beauty for a Better Life programme. She loves drawing and started practicing mehendi (henna) on her sisters and mother since she was nine. Coming from a single parent family, she finished her SPM, and found out about the programme through a teacher at VTOC. Through Beauty for a Better Life, Ramapriya learned to become independent. Having secured a job even before graduation, she said she will put her skills to good use as a beautician and henna artist, transforming her passion into her career.

Go to www.fondationloreal.com to find out more about L’Oréal Foundation and Beauty for a Better Life programme.

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