Call us on 01628 482 276
Twenty students from Wexham Secondary School had the opportunity to get some hands-on experience and to hone their painting and decorating skills at a careers focused day, organised by Slough Urban Renewal (SUR) in partnership with AkzoNobel this week.
The day’s activities, which took place at the AkzoNobel Dulux Academy in Slough, provided the students with the opportunity to complete a unit of their current Construction BTEC Level 1 while accessing a team of leading industry experts from Dulux, who were there to guide, support and inspire the pupils, throughout the day.
The day’s activities introduced learners to the hand tools, materials and personal protective equipment (PPE) used in decorating and offered them opportunities to develop the skills needed to prepare and paint surfaces.
Ged Humphries, Community Benefits Employment & Skills Coordinator for SUR said: “We would like to thank AkzoNobel for offering the students such a fantastic opportunity to attend their paint studio and to get some real hands-on experience in such an inspiring environment. The pupils had a fantastic time, and not only did many pupils get to complete a unit within their Level 1 BTEC, but together as a group they had great fun and really learned a lot from the day.”
Lawrence Smith, Head Teacher, Wexham Secondary School: “We are really pleased to be invited to the Dulux Academy where they are supporting our BTEC Construction students in completing their Painting & Decorating skills module. The BTEC course run by SATRO, is proving to be a resounding success, supporting a number of our boys and girls in preparing them for future careers.
"SUR are currently in the process of constructing our new building and have kindly sponsored the delivery of the BTEC Construction course for our students”.
Vickie Mather, Dulux Academy Manager: “We were delighted to welcome the students from Wexham Secondary School to our Dulux Academy and it was lovely to see how enthusiastic they all were. Our Academy really is the home of painting and decorating excellence and we have a focus on fostering craft and entrepreneurship to give our decorating industry the authority and professionalism it deserves. Inspiring a new generation who can help fill the shortfall of around 33,000 painters and decorators in the London and the south east area alone is something we’re really passionate about and it goes hand in hand with the advanced skills we teach decorators with many years of experience.”
Through its Community Benefits Fund, Slough Urban Renewal (SUR) aims to make a difference to the residents of Slough by supporting community initiatives and events and providing additional employment, skills and training opportunities within the town. As part of this, SUR has sponsored Wexham Secondary School to deliver a Construction BTEC Level 1 to 10 pupils on the school premises using SATRO (an educational charity and social enterprise, which works with young people) mobile classroom.