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L’Oréal Philippines celebrates the historic and inaugural year of the Digital Beauty Academy (DBA) program, a beauty and social media entrepreneurship training for livelihood building, by recognizing 516 successful graduates from the two batches concluded in 2023, in the graduation ceremony held at the Quezon City Hall on January 16. L’Oréal, SPARK! Philippines, TikTok, and Quezon City recognized 516 Quezon City citizens who completed the two-month training program, as well as students who emerged at the top of their class.
With new forms of online livelihood opportunities rising in the Philippines, the L’Oréal Digital Beauty Academy helps students gain the necessary skills needed to kickstart their digital journey. This program is a milestone in the brand’s commitment to use the power of beauty and education as a catalyst for social inclusion in the Philippines. Curated by industry experts, this comprehensive training program equips students with knowledge on diverse classes — beauty, digital marketing strategies, e-commerce essentials, and expert social media management — shaping them into adept, responsible digital creators and social entrepreneurs.
“We are always proud to be a part of programs like the L’Oréal Digital Beauty Academy that hero education and highlight the importance of livelihood. I am grateful for opportunities like this where we can help our Quezon City residents kickstart careers, especially in the digital field, and change lives for the better,” Mayor Joy Belmonte says as she commends the program and addresses the graduates.
Spotlighting exceptional talent for digital excellence
Through the program, many individuals, who each have their own story, were able to realize their goals and showcase certain skills that they were initially unaware of. Now, being able to pursue a career in the digital space is made possible for the graduates, especially for Ericson Lee from Quezon City District 6.
Ericson Lee, who is a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, reflects on what life was like before he discovered the Digital Beauty Academy. While he has always had a strong passion for working in the beauty sector, he was not allowed to attend professional schooling. However, he recalls that this did not stop him from working towards his dreams. “Pero sa kabila ng lahat, mas lalong tumindi ang aking interes. Nagsimula akong manood at mag-aral sa sarili sa pamamagitan ng mga online tutorials ng iba’t ibang beauty experts.” [Despite all the challenges, my interest only grew. I started to watch and learn independently through online tutorials of different beauty experts.] he explained. At this time, Ericson has also been searching through social media for free programs that will cater to his needs, and that is when he discovered the L’Oréal Digital Beauty Academy.
As he slowly learned the basics through online tutorials, it felt even more right for him to pursue this career, which inspired him to test his skills and accept his friends and family as his first clients. And soon after graduating from the program, where he acquired even more technical and professional skills, he started his own local salon called Just-Teen Salon in Quezon City. Because of this, Ericson is inspired to dream even bigger for himself and his business. “Matagal ko nang hiling ang larangan ng pagpapaganda, at nais ko pa na magpatuloy rito at ialay ang aking trabaho nang mapaganda ang buong Metro Manila.” [It has been my dream to be in the beauty industry, and now that I am a part of it, I hope to continue and offer my services to be able to reach more people within Metro Manila.] he shares.
Angelica Galang, who was a previous graduate of the program, also shared her journey. Before joining the program, Angelica was a dedicated stay-at-home mom with a passion for all things beauty. In her free time, she would make random content about makeup and post it on her TikTok account. She was also honest about her hesitance to join the program because of the limitations that come with being a full-time stay-at-home mom whose family depends on her to keep their home in order, but there was a determined voice that kept telling her that if there’s a will, there’s a way.
Angelica’s journey went from overcoming limitations to success as she made a point to apply her learnings to how she handles herself as a creator, “I was able to meet different kinds of people with different perspectives and personalities. Aside from the learnings from the program and now earning money learning money using my TikTok account, I am happy because I feel that I’ve become more understanding of people around me compared to before.”
With the knowledge and skills she acquired from the program, Angelica was inspired to make more content every day where she applied all the technical skills. “I started making content way back in 2019 without knowing the right processes such as planning ahead. DBA really helped me understand the right way of using my accounts as a content creator,’ she adds. She also shared that she was able to take home a significant amount of money in just two months, which is more than she had hoped for when she started making content a few years ago. This new, hard-earned money that came from Angelica’s determination to learn can greatly help her and her family in funding their needs and life savings.
“At L’Oréal, we are moved by the impact that the Digital Beauty Academy training has had on its graduates. Guided by ‘Beauty for A Better Life’ principles, we believe that beauty and education can be catalysts for social inclusion, providing women with self-confidence and empowerment. In today’s digital landscape, we aim to go beyond traditional boundaries and utilize beauty and digital to unlock new livelihood opportunities in social commerce and content creation” says Yannick Raynaud, managing director of L’Oréal Philippines. “We look forward to further expanding programs like this to other beneficiaries and cities around the country.”
This inaugural batch signifies a promising leap towards L’Oréal’s thrust: to uplift the lives of 10,000 individuals in the Philippines and foster a new wave of empowered, future-ready entrepreneurs. Through fruitful partnerships with local governments and organizations like SPARK! Philippines and TikTok, L’Oréal can push determined individuals out into the world and witness remarkable progress in the livelihood of many Filipinos.