SHABIHA NUR KHATOON, OP
For Anuradha Mohanty the businesswoman, creating employability skills in the state is essential for young job aspirants to tap into the many opportunities thrown up by the
fast-evolving beauty and wellness industry
‘Daan Utsav’, also known as ‘The Joy of Giving Week’, is a “festival of philanthropy” that aims at engaging people in various “acts of giving” – time, money, skills and resources. Besides covering sectors that include schools, NGOs and the government, colleges as well as corporate institutions, Daan Utsav also encourages the participation of the common man from all parts of the country.
Daan Utsav takes place between October 2 and 8 and witnesses the participation of people from all walks of life who are encouraged to appreciate the art of giving. In this context, the story of Anuradha Mohanty, an entrepreneur who aims to make people self-employed, deserves to be highlighted.
Anuradha, a business partner at VLCC Institute in Bhubaneswar, has been in the wellness industry for the past 15 years. After completing her Bachelor’s in science, Anuradha opted for MBA. However, doing something constructive for society and its betterment was uppermost in her mind. And the idea of making students self-employed in the field of beauty and wellness struck her early.
VLCC Institute specialises in beauty and wellness training. It has, so far, trained more than 75,000 students. State-of-the-art infrastructure, market relevant courses, a qualified and well-trained faculty and the dedicated placement division are key features of the Institute. With a range of more than 70 courses to choose from, candidates get the opportunity to learn and practise within a diverse spectrum.
Asked about the courses offered, Anuradha said: “We offer courses across streams – aesthetics, make-up, hair design, nail art, nutrition, and skin and spa therapy. The duration of the courses offered is from two months to two years, and the qualification criterion for students who want to enroll is matriculation. That is the minimum qualification. For students who want to enroll in wellness, Plus 2 is the minimum qualification.”
Going by her professional training, Anuradha is a nutritionist who started her venture in Bhubaneswar in 2015. Soon she realised that not many people were aware of the opportunities in the beauty industry; in fact many people still looked down on the profession. So, her first objective was to showcase the positive side of the profession.
Anuradha, the entrepreneur who has taken part in many events and shows, feels that without facing obstacles one cannot taste the sweetness of success. Dwelling on her journey in the professional world, she recounted: “My journey has been a roller-coaster ride as in the initial stage I had to make people aware about the profession and show to them its benefits. But to make things possible I had to do a lot of hard work as I am running short of manpower. Hiring students acted as an eye-opener for me because soon I realised that we are so full of resources but still we hire people from other states. Initially, we started with two batches and each batch had 50 students each. Earlier, I had worked with national wellness chains but there was an interest to start something of my own. I also wanted that the people of my state should adopt employable skills. There is a shortage of skilled and professional manpower in the industry we aim to fill this gap. We provide adequate training to students and not only do we assure 100 per cent placement assistance to the trainees but also invite campus placements.”