DMCC recently launched the Dubai Design Academy (DDA), which offers what it describes as “an exclusive jewellery-design programme in the heart of the emirate”.

DDA will impart both technical jewellery manufacturing and designing skills with innovative design development training and practical experience of the very latest CAD designing and manufacturing technology shaping the modern jewellery design industry. The Academy is led by “passionate gemmology and jewellery experts”, DMCC stated.

It added: “DDA is licensed by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), and has partnered with Gemvision USA to provide advanced CAD training.” 

The DDA is located at Almas Tower, Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT), which is the heartland of the gold and diamond industry in Dubai.    

The professional courses are designed for various levels of jewellery professionals and enthusiasts, whilst simultaneously creating a new career path for young talent.

The launch took place at a networking event held at the Almas Conference Centre (ACC).  The VIPs who attended, together with over 100 leading Dubai-based jewellers, were taken on a guided tour of the facility and were given a briefing on its mission to create specialised industry talent.

“Tasked with driving commodity trade through Dubai, it is imperative for DMCC to communicate with the market and respond accordingly,” said Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC. “From our engagement with the jewellery sector, we discovered that there was a sizable gap in human capital and a real concern about the talent available in the region to secure its future. This is precisely why DMCC launched the Dubai Design Academy. In time, this innovative project will supply the market with the forward-thinking, technically sound and entrepreneurial-minded young jewellery professionals the sector is urgently calling for. With technology, innovation and creativity at its heart, DDA is symbolic of DMCC’s approach to supporting trade, and Dubai’s approach to business more generally.”

The concept behind the Academy is encapsulated in the words, “Think, Design, Develop, Trade”.  

“By enrolling at the Academy, graduating students will also obtain the CAD software license, which enables them to design unique, complex and intricate pieces with precision,” DMCC said.

Pic Cap: At the inauguration of the DDA