AVANT GARDE OWNERS RESPOND TO CONCERNS OVER CERTIFICATES
AVANT GARDE OWNER RESPONDS TO CERTIFICATE CONCERNS
The owner of a Drogheda make-up academy, whose graduates fear they are now not fully qualified, says she is doing ‘everything she can to clear all this up’.
Emma Woods, owner of Avant Garde Make-up Academy, says she was ‘ taken by surprise as much as anyone else when the story emerged’, and ‘doesn’t know where it’s coming from’.
‘I have to think of my students, and they are the ones I’ll be thinking of before I say anything to the public or the press,’ she told the Drogheda Independent.
The academy has claimed to have accreditation from four international standards agencies, all of whom now say they are not affiliated to it, although Ms Woods is personally a member of all the bodies mentioned.
Former students of Avant Garde Makeup Academy & Studio, which charges up to €4,000 for courses, say they don’t know whether they are fully qualified or not, even though they say the course was very good.
Many who contacted the Drogheda Independent say they are ‘ heartbroken and devastated’ and don’t even want their names to be published for fear they might lose their jobs in the industry.
‘I graduated from Avant Garde in 2016 only to find out last week that my diploma isn’t what I thought it was’ said one former student.
‘My dreams have been shattered, and as a single mother I struggled to pay for this and am worried I am now not insured to work.’
Another past graduates said it is a ‘ horrible and stressful’ situation.
‘I just don’t see any way it can be fixed, and I did this course so it would be recognised world-wide, and now this seems to leave a lot of people’s livelihoods in doubt.’
Avant Garde was challenged about its claims last week by Bloggers Unveiled, a beauty-industry Instagram account. The academy was accused of not having the accreditation it claimed for certificates issued to students.
Avant Garde had said it was accredited by the Confederation of International Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology (Cibtac); the British Association of Beauty Therapy & Cosmetology (Babtac); the National Association of Screen Make-up Artists & Hairdressers (Nasmah); and the Guild of Professional Beauty Therapists.
The certificates issued to students upon completing their courses included logos of some of the associations, which last week said they did not issue any of the diplomas and did not consider them valid diplomas of their’s.
‘Nasmah is in no way affiliated or endorsing the Avant Garde academy of make-up in Drogheda,’ said Nasmah. Cibtac and Babtac confirmed that Avant Garde was not accredited by either of them, and said they were investigating the matter.
‘I have been in touch with all my students, and as soon as I have clarity and confidence in what I can say, I will issue a statement,’ concluded Ms Woods.