The Dulux Academy Opens for Business

The Dulux Academy Opens for Business

We're pleased to announce that the Dulux Academy has officially opened its doors! Opened by Education Minister Priti Patel, the facility is the world's first academy for painters and decorators. Ms Patel said: 'High quality apprenticeships are essential to support businesses and to help our economy prosper. Employers like Dulux are leading the way.'

The Dulux Academy is our educational service, providing professional decorators with all the expertise and know-how they need for business success. The Academy hosts a mix of programmes that will help the skill development of decorators throughout their career, so all courses will have different qualifications or experience required prior to attending. In addition to a state-of-the-art main facility at AkzoNobel headquarters in Slough, there are also online courses and partner facilities around the country.

Who is the Dulux Academy for?

Our mission is to help the painting and decorating industry meet the ever-growing demand for skilled professionals. With this in mind, the academy aims to bring a new generation to the industry by offering practical skills and advice from our leading team of painting and decorating specialists. But this exciting offering isn't just for apprentices and newcomers – it's also a hub of knowledge and learning for those already working within the industry to brush up (no pun intended) on their skills and keep up to date with new product innovations too. We also run sessions for stockists and retailers who want in-depth product knowledge in order to enhance their customer service offering in store. In short, the Dulux Academy is for anyone and everyone who has an interest in the painting and decorating and design industries.

What to expect at the Dulux Academy

With class sizes of around 8-16, all the courses at the Dulux Academy are run by professionals at the top of their game. The credibility of the in-house training team is an essential element of the academy. Each trainer has a background in painting and decorating, and knowledge of specialist products, application skills and techniques. For example, Dulux Trade Ultimate Professional winner Mark Rigby has joined the training team, bringing his valuable wealth of experience as a decorator and business owner to the academy.

Skills learned at the academy fall into four main categories; Sustainability, Colour and Design, Business Management and Product, Application and Innovation. These categories cover everything from general technical skills including painting, spraying, and wallpaper hanging, to business development to aid attendees in making a success of their own start-up businesses. Most practical courses are run over one day and cost from £99 plus VAT. Upcoming courses include:

Spray Painting
Murals & Feature Walls
Emergency First Aid at Work
Introduction to AkzoNobel Specialist Products and Application Techniques
Colour and Design for Professional Decorators

Aside from the educational benefits of the Dulux Academy, it's also a chance tomeet and network with like-minded professionals and integrate into the industry's tight-knit community.

To see the full range of courses and to book your place, visit the Dulux Academy website.