Velma’s Millinery Academy, a Ghanaian school at the forefront of fashion accessory training on the continent is expanding to new frontiers with a brand new space for students and a new curriculum.
The Academy headed by Mrs. Velma Owusu-Bempah, a Central Saint Martin-trained-Milliner with over sixteen (16) years in the accessory design market will cover new courses in bag-designing, jewellery, illustration, surface ornamentation, and modern techniques in hat-making.
“We are excited about implementing this new curriculum and a new space for the next academic year. We believe that these two innovations will go a long way to impact the education of our students and provide a solid foundation for a successful career in the fashion industry,” the principal of the Academy, Velma Owusu-Bempah explained.
VMA’s innovative curriculum tailored for the African market coupled with its cutting-edge classroom space aims to provide Africa’s youth with standard training and education to jumpstart a successful career in accessory and craftsmanship.
It hopes to use this new platform to tackle Ghana and the subregion’s high unemployment rate which has been worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its mitigating effect on the economy of African countries by imparting students with requisite skills in entrepreneurship.
In a recent World Bank Report, 12% of Ghanaian Youth face unemployment with a staggering 50% underemployed if jobs continue to be limited. However, the level of unemployment can be tackled if the youth are trained.
With the support of expert tutors, students will be trained for the job market through practical courses with a solid reference to theories and provided with mentorship to tackle the challenges that may arise in business.
According to Velma who is the Accessories Designer of the Year at the 2021 Citi TV’s Entertainment Achievement Awards, the academy will open its doors to its inaugural class on the 16th of August, 2021 for the semester session.
This will see new students attending the training courses in a new environment that has been redesigned to meet the specifications of the new normal which mainly factors ‘Social Distancing’ requirements.
“We have designed a new space to cater for the developments of the COVID-19 pandemic which include private wooden cubicles for each student to give them privacy and access to their resources,” Mrs. Owusu-Bempah added.
The new space has also seen the installation of personal office lockers, potted plants to enhance its environmental friendliness, and portraits of artifacts to represent the various courses that are being introduced to the academy.
Velma’s Academy will offer 6 programmes both on campus and virtual including courses in Bag Making, Accessories Making, Jewelry making (Bead option), Swarovski Application, Business Etiquette, and Millinery.
Through the support of its Philanthropy Foundation, there will also be a scholarships fund to bring education opportunities to a selected individual each semester.
Established in 2018, the Velma’s Millinery Academy has been touted as a ‘Gamechanger” in fashion training across the continent with over 60 students trained or retrained so far and sent into the job market.
Interested applicants can reach out to the Academy via their website:
https://velmasmillineryacademy.com/
Email: velmacrossland@yahoo.com Mobile phone: +233262106325.
About Velma’s Academy
Velmas’ Millinery Academy teaches traditional and modern techniques while encouraging students to find their own signature and as well as bringing their creativity into reality.
Principal Velma Owusu-Bempah is a visionary in the Ghanaian fashion space who has rejuvenated the industry with her luxury fashion brand.
The Academy is located on the First Floor of Sarah’s Fabric Building in Osu, G.Y Oddoi Street behind the Urbano Hotel.
