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Since launching in 2016, Dulux Academy has been committed to supporting apprentices, not only during National Apprenticeship Week (6th – 12th February 2023), but all year round. A promise that is synonymous with the message of this year’s National Apprenticeship Week theme, ‘Skills for Life’, it encompasses how apprenticeships can help individuals build upon their skills and knowledge for the future and, in turn, help businesses grow a workforce of experts.
To provide support to both apprentices and trade professionals taking on apprentices, in January 2022 Dulux Academy established its Apprentice Season Ticket, an initiative offering extra incentives and new learning solutions for apprentices to supplement and enhance their formal learning.
The Apprentice Season Ticket enables apprentices to attend courses at any UK Dulux Academy venue to support and supplement their site and college-based learning. Proving to be a successful platform, in the past year over 60 apprentices have enrolled to the Apprentice Season Ticket, and this uptake is expected to continue to grow.
Property services company, Ian Williams, recently worked with Dulux Academy to support its existing apprentice training, and Philip Jones, Painting Operations Director at Ian Williams, explains the collaboration: “Ian Williams initially worked with the Dulux Academy to find a solution that enhanced our existing apprentice’s Ian Williams Academy training and through that process, they suggested we use their season ticket scheme. We jumped at the chance to gain access to a broader range of training and the post training support resources the season ticket allows trainees to access.
“The feedback from our apprentices and their mentors has been wholly positive and the flexibility to run courses across the country has enabled us to manage the process efficiently. Having attended a training session very recently I was very impressed with the quality of the tuition and the facilities. All of our attendees were engaged for the whole day and they all left with new skills and knowledge.”
Vickie Mather, Dulux Academy Lead at AkzoNobel, adds: “Apprentices are key to the future of our industry, so we are dedicated to encouraging young people to enter the profession by providing market-leading support and empowering them to become the painting and decorating professionals of the future.
“We understand that everyone learns in different ways and at varied paces, so it can be challenging to put classroom theory into action. The Apprentice Season Ticket provides solutions to these potential barriers, with a wide range of in-person and online workshops to engage all learning styles.”
To further celebrate the 16th annual celebration of National Apprenticeship Week, Dulux Academy is setting out to train 100 apprentices across the week, to attract and support the next generation in joining the industry.
Speaking about the National Apprenticeship Week training programme, Vickie Mather says: “We’re looking forward to introducing and welcoming 100 apprentices to Dulux Academy this National Apprenticeship Week to support those early in their careers in exploring the industry, expanding their knowledge and developing new skills that will set them up for life.
“With this latest apprentice training pledge, we are immensely proud to announce that the number of painting and decorator professionals we have trained, at all points of their careers, tops 15,000 – a huge milestone for Dulux Academy.”
Apprentices have been given the opportunity to take part in face-to-face training at partner college locations in Bolton and Portsmouth, or join Dulux Academy Live Workshop streams, available online throughout the week. These sessions will supplement college learning by upskilling apprentices and painting and decorating students about colour theory and scheming, as well as arm them with Dulux Trade colour tools and professional decorator tips, to support them in the early stages of their decorating career.
For more information about the Dulux Academy Apprentice Season Ticket, visit: www.duluxtradepaintexpert.co.uk/en/editorial/academy-season-ticket.
For details on purchasing a Dulux Academy Apprentice Season Ticket, visit: https://bit.ly/DASeasonTicketPurchase
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