Posh Academy empowers women and youth by offering sustainable income opportunities and formal employment in the beauty industry.

Despite recent economic growth, Romania consistently has some of the highest rates of risk of poverty and social exclusion in the European Union, with women and youth being disproportionately affected. Posh Academy was founded to address these social disparities by creating sustainable income opportunities for marginalised communities in the northeastern region of Romania.

Posh Academy is both a training centre and a provider of beauty services. The Romanian-based enterprise offers on-the-job training and upskilling for at-risk women, ethnic minorities, young people, and LGBTQIA+ individuals in a range of services such as hairdressing, hair colouring, manicures, pedicures, and other specialised beauty treatments.

While the beauty industry offers significant employment opportunities, many beauticians work informally without official accreditation or formal employment contracts that provide job stability and protection. Posh Academy's training courses support participants in transitioning from informal to formal employment, providing them with the necessary skills and certifications to work legally and transparently in the beauty sector. The Academy's courses require no previous qualifications or language skills and cover a range of practical skills and theoretical knowledge to ensure graduates are well-equipped to enter the job market.

So far, over 150 students from marginalised communities – 80% of whom are women – have benefited from Posh Academy's specialist courses, with some graduates opening their own small beauty businesses and renting space from the Academy.

Posh Academy is not just about beauty; it's also about sustainability. The Academy is committed to protecting the planet while delivering high-quality beauty services. It promotes the use of vegan, cruelty-free products in refillable containers in its salons and uses energy-efficient equipment. As part of its community engagement efforts, Posh Academy provides free hair-cutting and styling services to people from marginalised groups.

"With support from NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, Posh Academy is working to assist refugees from Ukraine in entering the job market in Iași, Romania, and advance their careers in hairdressing and beauty services. With a high demand for skilled workers in Iași, we are confident that our practical and hands-on training will equip refugees and other marginalised individuals to thrive in quality jobs in the open job market.”
— Posh Academy leadership

Programme support

With NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship's technical business assistance, Posh Academy aims to scale its operations and ensure its specialist training programs are aligned with industry demands, providing valuable skills for career advancement in the beauty sector. The investment will support creating new workstations, improving accessibility through a user-friendly website and multilingual access, and developing targeted marketing strategies to reach wider audiences.