Dulux Decorator Centre Celebrates Supporting 300 Young Learners Following the One-Year Anniversary With Volunteer It Yourself
Dulux Decorator Centre is marking the one-year anniversary of its partnership with Volunteer It Yourself (VIY). Over the last year, the paint merchant has raised over £35,000 for VIY, and supported 300 young people to achieve their City & Guilds accreditation in painting and decorating.
VIY is a social enterprise that encourages young people to volunteer to fix and upgrade community facilities across the country. Through hands-on projects and mentorship from professional tradespeople, VIY equips young volunteers with essential trade skills and accreditations, setting them up for meaningful and rewarding career opportunities.
Dulux Decorator Centre formed a partnership with VIY in February 2023 and has supported the social enterprise through fundraising efforts, including donating funds from the sale of paint stirrers and tin openers across its 230+ stores. This alone has raised an impressive £35,313 which has supported 300 young people achieve their City & Guilds accreditation in painting and decorating. This amounts to around 50% of all painting and decorating City & Guilds accreditations completed through VIY over the last year.
One of the young people to benefit from Dulux Decorator Centre’s support is 20-year-old Ali. Having volunteered for a VIY project, Ali went on to gain a City & Guilds accreditation in bricklaying and was offered a multi-trade apprenticeship with construction contractor and Dulux Connect member Ian Williams. Now three months into his apprenticeship, Ali is thriving – working on numerous renovation projects and enjoying the opportunity to learn.
Ali said: “Since the start of my apprenticeship, I’ve been working on void houses that need general maintenance – things like slab laying, removal of tiles, filling walls, changing taps and refitting broken doors. I’m learning a lot from my colleagues and I’m really enjoying it.”
Phoena Wilmott-Bayer, Sustainability Project Manager at Dulux Decorator Centre, said: “Our partnership with VIY has been incredibly rewarding and we are proud to offer our continued support for the year ahead. As well as donating paint to VIY projects, we are also committed to supporting the next generation of skilled tradespeople get their foot on the ladder and begin their journey into the trade. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with VIY, colouring more lives and supporting young learners in the years to come.”
For more information about the new initiatives to support VIY, visit the Dulux Decorator Centre website: https://www.duluxdecoratorcentre.co.uk/blog/volunteer-it-yourself.
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