Ricky Reyes Learning Institute: Hope for out-of-school youth
A new franchised Ricky Reyes Learning Institute (RRLI), a technical-vocational (tech voc) school, has opened its classes in make up, beauty, and hairstyling business for interested entrepreneurs.
The franchise owner of the RRLI branch in Fairview, Quezon City is Flor B. Santos, who has a string of businesses but chose to include the institute as part of her advocacy in the education sector.
“I believe that if we give people a chance or opportunity to improve their lives through education, we can create individuals who, not only will be breadwinners and good family providers, but productive citizens as well,” said Santos.
Ricky Reyes, owner of the Ricky Reyes chain of beauty salons and tech-voc schools, said he is offering investors, like Santos, the know-how to put up their own tech-voc schools.
Apart from the latest trends in hair and makeup, Reyes is adept at running tech-voc schools, opening the first Ricky Reyes Learning Institute in 1995. To date, it has produced 90,000 graduates.
RRLI also has branches located in Quiapo, Manila, and Cubao and Anonas in Quezon City.
“In the world we live in, it’s not enough that you have skills,” said Ricky Reyes. “If you can’t express yourself, then how can you be employed?”
The tech-voc chain specializes in beauty care, which includes hairdressing and cosmetology, and hotel and restaurant services (HRS). In cosmetology, for instance, his school offers six to seven modules. For beauty care, which includes haircutting, it offers six. Each course also has lessons in English to further boost the students’ confidence and employability.
RRLI plans to add building wiring, electricity, and welding. HRS —housekeeping, bartending and basic hotel, kitchen and restaurant operations — has been attracting a lot of young men these days, Reyes said.
Reyes is franchising these modules and the training that goes with implementing them to interested businessmen for a fee. He has waived royalties for the use of his name.
“My ultimate goal is to have one techvoc school per town all over the country,” he said.
Investors don’t have to build school buildings. Reyes is encouraging them to lease existing buildings in their localities to house the schools.
“We will also help them with the training,” he said. “There are plenty of trainable out-of-job teachers out there who are interested and capable of teaching vocational courses.”
To give them a stake in their community’s development, Reyes wants teachers to be residents of the towns and cities where they will teach. Hiring locals will also facilitate faster transfer of information because teachers and students share the same culture and language.