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Since its official launch in March 2016, the Academy has welcomed more than 5,500 course attendees and to mark the milestone, supplier partners including Mirka UK, Graco Paint Sprayer, Tesa UK and Corona Brushes, as well as Dulux Select Decorators, attended an open day to learn more about the Academy journey and on trend courses offered.
Dulux Academy Skills Development Consultant Matt Gray demonstrated the process of marbling, showcasing the skill and expertise required to create a marble finish using water-borne paints.
Bookings for craft courses such as marbling have seen a 500% rise year on year, with Gray explaining that the skills offer a point of 
difference for decorators in a competitive marketplace.
Gray said; “Taking inspiration from natural marbles and using water-borne glazes and colourants, decorators can create an impressive range of faux finish marbles enabling them to offer an exclusive finish for their customers.
“Customers are always impressed by the detail of the finish and we’ve seen a strong demand for the courses from decorators, as well as for other similar craft courses including graining, gilding and urban effects like concrete.”
Dulux Academy, which now delivers training at 10 UK venues through a partnership with colleges across the UK, has achieved approved status from City & Guilds and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and has been recognised in the industry for ‘Excellence in Training’.
Gemma Edwards, City & Guilds Account Manager, says; Over the last three years, we have been proud to work in partnership with the Dulux Academy in developing their bespoke level 3 qualification. The qualification, which has become an industry gold standard, enables painters and decorators to progress further in their careers. This exciting and innovative partnership is set to grow in 2019 as we work even more closely to support the advancement of the Dulux Academy training offer.”
Vickie Mather, Dulux Academy Lead, said on the day; “It is fantastic to mark this milestone by celebrating with the team and
our partners who have made our success possible. Our close relationship with our supplier partners has given our course delegates access to and experience of the very best equipment that is available.
“As the industry develops so do our courses, ensuring that we continue to remain on trend and meet the personal and professional ambitions of today’s professional decorators. We already have exciting plans underway to expand both our range of courses and our college partnerships in 2019, to give more decorators the opportunity to train in the latest techniques at a location close to them.”
