Naturals, Godrej partner to set up beauty training academy in India

India-based Unisex hair and beauty salon chain Naturals has partnered with Godrej Good & Green, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of the Godrej Group, to set up a training academy for beauty and salon training in the country.

According to Naturals, around 50,000-55,000 employees are required for Naturals alone to reach its target growth in next three to four years.

Naturals CEO and co-founder C K Kumaravel told Business Standard that the company targets to have 3,000 salons and 50,000-55,000 employees by 2018.

"One of the biggest challenges the industry is facing is lack of quality manpower. The perspective of the society towards this industry is stopping many students to come forward and pick up this job as a career," Kumaravelb added.

As part of the collaboration, the company would set up an academy in Marg Swarnabhoomi, a multi services SEZ (Special Economic Zone) in the East Coast Road, Tamil Nadu, India.

Construction work is slated to start now and the facility would be completed before November.

The facility, to be named as Godrej Naturals Hair and Beauty Academy, would start with training 250 students in a batch and the course would be of three months.

Further, the company is seeking to set up satellite academies over the next 12-24 months in Siliguri and Imphal in the northeast and also in other parts of the country.

Naturals presently operates around 400 salons and employs around 6,500 people.