Today, the Beauty and Wellness sector has gained prominence in India and displayed consistent and remarkable growth, making it a potentially significant contributor to economic growth and a leading employer creating millions of employment opportunities across the breadth of the country. The reason for this phenomenal growth is the rising consumerism, globalization and changing lifestyles of Indian consumers as well as increasing rate of wellness tourism. As per the report by Global Hospitality Consultant HVS, India was listed as one of the top 20 Spa countries worldwide. Combining the benefits of Rejuvenation & Alternate Therapy services along with holiday packages has become increasingly popular. Moreover, Ayurveda , MedSpa, Natural and Resort based Spa rejuvenation centers are estimated to contribute over 30 percent of the total income in the tourism industry. Yoga and meditation courses have also attracted the attention of the tourists and travelers. India is currently the 10th fastest growing market globally in Beauty & Wellness sector and the industry is poised to reach a size of INR 875,000 crores by the year 2014.
The rapid growth in beauty and wellness industry along with the entry of giant organized players both nationally and globally, has led to huge demand for trained personnel. However, there is a huge deficit in the availability of skilled and trained personnel. This talent deficit poses extreme threat to the growth and expansion of the whole beauty and wellness industry. In the Beauty and Wellness industry, only 20% to 30% of the total market share is controlled by the organized players. The rest of the market is unorganized and fragmented with the presence of small and regional players. Developing skilled and trained personnel is thus a daunting task at hand for both businesses and for the government.
The various skill development solutions, initiated by employers, are confined to meeting their own current requirements and lack the scope and scale to tackle the challenges of catering for the expansion of the sector. In order to address this dilemma, a national level initiative with the partnership of the government, employers and other important stakeholders to create and lead a skill development initiative for the beauty and wellness industry has been envisaged.
Beauty and Wellness Skill Development Council (BWSSC) established to ensure the generation of skilled manpower in the sector, create career paths in roles existing within the unorganized and organized segments of the Beauty and Wellness industry and ensure active participation of the different stakeholders i.e. Industry, Academia and learners to ensure a holistic development of skilled manpower.
