Bella Marie is owned by two people, Amy McKenna and Gemma Lowery. They have been friends for over 17 years; after meeting each other during their careers in the NHS. Due to redundancy and family illness, both no longer wished to work for the NHS. So they decided to start a new venture and opened their own beauty salon based in the North East; opening their doors in March 2017. By September 2017, the salon transitioned into an academy.
“We found our initial catchment was salons in the North East who wanted to enhance their current skills and offer more services; or students who wanted to completely change their career. We initially started with just one tutor, and two owners managing the administration opening our doors in September 2017, offering approximately six fast track courses a month, and establishing ourselves as a beauty academy within the North East.”
Amy and Gemma are now focused on growing the academy as it continues to go from strength to strength. Alongside the academy, Gemma is also the CEO of the Bradley Lowery Foundation charity.
In the 9 years we have been open, we have grown significantly. We now have a training facility, in Seaham and in Sunderland, so that we can host even more learners and provide a greater range of courses. In 2021 we made it our focus to work on expanding our academy even more. This has led to us partnering with a community centre in Horden. This allows us to provide more training to those who are local to that area; and aren’t able to travel to our current sites. We are also in the process of opening another Seaham branch to work alongside our current site; and we have just finalised a site in Hartlepool which we hope to get up and running soon.
We have increased our tutors and now work in partnership with 16 amazing tutors who specialise in different areas and have expert knowledge in the industry. Plus, we now have a dedicated administration team and have brought on a marketing officer.
On average, we run 30 courses a week across Seaham and Sunderland.
Bella Marie Training Academy Ltd is a dynamic beauty training academy, specialising in a range of hair and beauty courses including; makeup courses, hairdressing courses, beauty therapy courses, and barbering courses.
Our certified courses include, short training courses, VTCT Level 2 and Level 3 courses, online beauty courses, in a variety of hair and beauty related subjects. By providing a range of different courses, it allows people at different levels of experience to find a course that suits them; and so that they can fit training into their busy lifestyle.
Alongside our beauty courses, we now do VTCT Level 3 courses in teaching and assessing and salon management; so that we can help others build a career in education. And, we are a VTCT approved centre!
We are located in the North East, Tyne & Wear. Our training courses run across both our Sunderland and Seaham venues, with Seaham being our head office; and both venues are VTCT approved centres.
Alternative Provision
We run a wide range of provisions for young people (11-16 years old) in alternative education. We are now working with 11 schools across Seaham and Sunderland, and provide over 8 sessions per week for our young learners.
Learners can come to the centre for up to three days per week, to engage in vocational activities in hair and beauty, as well as developing some fundamental transferable skills such as; working as part of a team, problem solving, and starting your own business.
Get in touch today for our Alternative Provision Offering.
We also offer a franchise opportunity for budding beauty entrepreneurs.
Our mission as an Academy is to provide ongoing and additional training and support to all students enrolled onto our courses. When you enrol on a course with us, you don’t just attend a beauty course and that’s the end of it; you become part of the Bella Marie Beauty community!
Following completion of a beauty course of your choosing, we also look to empower students in order to allow you to create your own profitable company; offering as much guidance as you need to get you off your feet and into the world of business.
Not only this, but we also offer the opportunity for those completing their training to work with our expert, certified, staff at the Bella Marie Student Salon; which is a fully functional working salon at our Seaham Academy.
One of the key benefits of this service is that it provides beauty students with the opportunity to kickstart their personal business and clientele; as well as their social media following, with an ever-increasing portfolio. All in all, we give you the time and space to practice your new beauty therapy skills and access to a support system with vastly qualified, trained tutors on site and in person.
We as a company provide a fantastic beauty service to any client looking to start their own beauty business, advance or begin a new career, or just learn some new skills. Helping students turn their passion into a career.
