At a Glance
Location: Romania
Impact Areas: Employment Generation, Placement
People Supported:
Women, Refugees and Migrants, At-Risk Youth, Ethnic Minorities
Joined NESsT Portfolio:
2024
Overview
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 established as a sustainable solution to address these social disparities and create sustainable income opportunities for disadvantaged communities in the northeastern region of Romania.
Posh Academy is both a training center and a provider of beauty services. The social 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 coloring, manicures, pedicures, and other specialized 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 to transition 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 marginalized 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 has a strong commitment 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. Additionally, as part of its community engagement efforts, Posh Academy provides free hair-cutting and styling services to people from marginalized groups, benefitting 100 refugees and 20 youth who are neither in education nor employment (NEETs) to date.
Results & Impact
150
students from marginalized communities trained and upskilled
40
marginalized individuals are expected to be placed in jobs yearly
100
refugees and migrants are expected to receive training and upskilling support by 2027
“With NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship’s support, Posh Academy is working to assist refugees from Ukraine to enter the job market in Iași, Romania, and advance their careers in the fields of 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 marginalized individuals to thrive in quality jobs in the open job market.”
NESsT Investment
Posh Academy shows a strong commitment to amplifying its social impact and supporting the employability of more marginalized individuals. With the support of NESsT, it will provide specialist training, hiring, and placement programs to refugees and migrants, and youth in the northeastern region of Romania, supporting them to gain formal certification in the beauty industry and transforming informal work into stable jobs or successful small enterprises.
To support its plans to reach 100 refugees in the region, Posh Academy has established partnerships with two Refugee Assistance Centers (RACs) in Iași. So far, 40 refugees have accessed training and placement programs with Posh Academy to enter the job market and/or be placed internally at Posh Academy.
With NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship’s technical business assistance, Posh Academy will scale its operations and ensure its specialist training programs are aligned with industry demands, providing valuable skills for career advancement in the beauty sector. 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.