October 2, 2018 – A few years back, Reuters.com shared a poll indicating that only 14 percent of Americans claim to have their dream job, while the other 86 percent are either looking to change careers or simply working to pay the bills. This alarming statistic was the catalyst behind “Get Your Dream Job,” an initiative created by the International Spa Association and the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation in an effort to recruit qualified talent for beauty industry jobs—what Lynelle Lynch, owner of Bellus Academy and president of the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation, refers to as the best-kept secret.
Twelve-plus years ago, Lynch’s husband asked her to take over the leadership of one of his many businesses: three beauty schools. The president of the schools had tragically passed away, and Lynch was tasked with determining if they should sell the schools or evaluate potential opportunities. To aid with her decision, she recruited an advisory board made up of San Diego spa and salon owners.
“It was through this group’s guidance that I uncovered a tremendous disconnect in the education that beauty schools provided and the career skills required by the industry,” Lynch says. “While we were evaluating the education needed to meet industry demand, I was emotionally torn by the stories of students who weren’t supported by their families to pursue a career in the beauty industry,” she adds. In 2009, as a board member for the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), Lynch chaired the association’s annual convention and staged the first Beauty Changes Lives event to combat the divide.
