Dermalogica Announces Expansion of FITE Future Entrepreneurs Program

Dermalogica announces the expansion of FITE Future Entrepreneurs in 2016.

Following a successful pilot program that began in New York City last year, Dermalogica, The International Dermal Institute (IDI), and FITE (Financial Independence Through Entrepreneurship) announced the expansion of FITE Future Entrepreneurs in 2016. The program, which was developed to create a pathway to entrepreneurship for at-risk young women who aspire to work in the skin care industry, will roll out into six United States cities, and provide vocational education, materials and supplies, mentorship, business management training, and support finding job placement within a salon.

Program expansion will begin on the west coast. Applicants will be selected to go through a complete industry education at a Dermalogica partnership school, followed by on-the-job support over the next year. More than a simple scholarship, FITE Future Entrepreneurs aims to support women in all aspects of their educational journey, offering financial literacy training, access to technology, childcare assistance, and ongoing support services throughout the year.

The opportunity to provide young women with vocational training comes at a time when investing in skills is more important than ever: globally, over 75 million youth are unemployed, and four-year higher education is increasingly out of reach. Yet job growth across skill-driven industries such as skin care, caregiving, and technology has risen year over year, with job growth for skin therapists in the salon industry projected to grow 40% by 2022. FITE Future Entrepreneurs provides a direct opportunity for more women to achieve financial independence through skilled trade and ultimately establish their own business, thereby changing their lives and the communities in which they live.

“As a woman who began her career with vocational training as a professional skin therapist, and who parlayed that training into a global business, I believe we are underserving women who have the desire and capacity to pursue career opportunities that are not even being shown to them as options,” Dermalogica founder and Chief Visionary Jane Wurwand explains. “The FITE Future Entrepreneurs program is an opportunity to develop extraordinary young women into entrepreneurs – not just job seekers, but job creators.”

Out of the ten young women selected for the 2015 pilot program in New York, 50% had no college education, with only one woman completing a college degree. Prior to the program, 60% of the women were unemployed, 30% were employed part-time and only one young woman was working full-time. After completing their undergraduate education in November 2015, the women transitioned into the next phase of the program which includes apprenticeships, shadowing experts in the field, and learning valuable retail skills. Currently, graduates are actively training and performing services at Dermalogica partner salons and spas in the New York City area.

The FITE Future Entrepreneurs model is set for global expansion, with partnerships in emerging markets such as Cambodia and India, as well as in the United Kingdom and Australia. By supporting the missions of both Dermalogica and IDI – integrating business expertise, advanced education and curriculum with the company core values and philanthropic commitment to advance women and girls – FITE Future Entrepreneurs aids in building a strong community of likeminded women who support and nurture each other through their goals.

[Image courtesy of Dermalogica]