2020 Nov 18
We live in an exciting world brimming with possibilities. We just have to be confident in our capabilities, find a way, lasso in what we want, and make it work. Glow and Lovely (formally known as Fair and Lovely) has been helping Sri Lankan women do just this. In October 2019 this household brand took a bold step in empowerment with their newest initiative Glow and Lovely Careers (www.glowandlovelycareers.lk), an online education and career guidance portal aiming to help the women of Sri Lanka.
For anyone at any time from anywhere
With its objective of empowering women through enhancing knowledge, skills and career guidance, Glow and Lovely Careers, which was previously known as the Fair and Lovely Career Foundation, provides a host of free online courses along with a variety of resources aimed at preparing Sri Lankan women for a successful corporate life. With the convenience of accessibility at its heart, Glow and Lovely Careers launched its Sinhala Language portal in March 2020 opening its doors to many more. The courses are free with flexible schedules and can be accessed through many devices, providing the opportunity for education to anyone willing. Most courses provide certification as tangible proof.
Twenty-eight-year old purchasing officer Gihani Dananjanee exemplifies this perfectly as she has been following courses while maintaining a full-time job. “The passion I had for fashion designing motivated me to do this course. Although I didn’t have any prior knowledge I was able to learn everything from the most basic level”, she said.
The journey so far
Over the past 12 months, more than ten thousand women have registered to the platform enrolling in more than one hundred courses in nineteen disciplines. The courses are provided in partnership with edX, Hello English, NIIT and EnglishEdge. With English, Fashion Design, and ‘How to Apply for a Job’ being the most popular courses, it’s apparent that soft skills and career guidance are some of the leading career requirements or
the Sri Lankan woman.
“After doing this course, I was able to move and work better with others, as well as talk in
English without fear”, said Chathurika Gunathilaka, a twenty-eight-year-old who is currently
searching for employment.
More than one-hundred free courses
With over one hundred courses offered, Glow and Lovely Careers covers a huge range of subjects varying from basic grammar and pronunciation to Advance Numerical Analysis. Most classes are self-paced and can be completed in a few hours. The English classes offered, provide a strong foundation for the language and certain classes focus on particular industries, making them a valuable tool to those that require specialised knowledge.
With the ease of accessibility in mind, the classes cover a wide range of skill levels ensuring that there is something for everyone. The courses are curated to reflect the requirements of the job market and the skills that are needed making this the perfect platform to get most skills needed under one (digital) roof.
Thirty-six-year-old Sujani Perera, a pre-school teacher, bears witness to the diversity of courses and skills offered by this initiative. “It enabled me to understand children who have different characteristics and behaviours better” stated Sujani. She further highlighted the accessibility of the courses, which can usually be very expensive elsewhere.
Free career quiz and CV builder
The two career development tools offered by Glow and Lovely Careers are by far some of the most innovative parts of the website. The twenty question psychometric evaluation and four-step CV building tools offer proactive assistance in decision making and helps employability.
The psychometric evaluation includes twenty multiple-choice questions which are easy to understand and engaging. This helps evaluate valuable information about your interests, goals and skills. Following the evaluation, the system provides a selection of career options which it deems to suit each user best. The career information provided includes a detailed description along with the best pathway for each career.
The four-step CV builder makes an otherwise daunting task simple and accessible. The tool includes a series of web forms requesting specific information that can be easily filled along with examples on how it should be done. This too takes away the rather difficult organising and designing process of CV building, giving the user more time to focus on the best information to include. The end result is a sleek CV.
Glow and Lovely Careers is a shining example of the potential of digital technology in changing lives and with the #sheglows initiative, they are on the road to empowering women. On top of the courses and tools offered by the web portal, they have also partnered with the Unilever Careers team to work with experts on taking their education mission further.
“Glow and Lovely Careers enabled me to utilise the extra time I had during lockdown towards something productive”, says Yashika Karadana, a twenty-two-year Undergraduate. This is a prime example of the potential possessed by this initiative.
It’s true that we live in a world full of possibilities and opportunities but it’s also an extremely competitive world out there. Access to the right kind of information and gaining the right skills is crucial to success. That’s exactly what Glow and Lovely exposes the women of Sri Lanka to!
