Customer Success Stories & Fire Brigade Discounts.
Plastering Courses and DIY Courses in the North West
DIY Courses run by The DIY School in Stockport appeal to Trades People, DIYers, Large Companies , Career Changers and Education Groups alike.
Of course DIY for Women comprises a significant and growing proportion of our highly acclaimed training.
Our training courses can be split in to two main categories.
The more advanced DIY Courses and construction-based projects include:-
Plastering Courses The Essentials.
Includes tool kit and Travis Perkins Trade Discount Card- Plastering Courses The Advanced.
- Tiling Courses. The Essentials Sponsored by Ardex.
Includes a CTD Trade Discount Card - Tiling Course The Advanced (Coming Soon)
- Bricklaying Courses The Essentials for GARDEN WALLS.
Includes a Travis Perkins Trade Discount Card - Bricklaying Courses The Essentials for CAVITY WALLS.
Includes a Travis Perkins Trade Discount Card - Painting and Decorating Courses The Essentials.
The DIY focused courses include:-
DIY Training Courses in Manchester that pay for themselves!
One of the common comments that we hear from our past students is either how much money they have saved or how much money they are now earning from their new DIY skills. We find that everybody who applies their new skills either commercially or in their own homes has the ability to more than recover the initial costs of their courses. Read here how Peter saved hundreds of pounds on his first project.
Training Course Customer Satisfaction
We see it as a testament to the quality of our DIY Courses and training that so many customers return to do 4 or even 5 of our courses becoming true friends of The DIY School. The 11 people in this January 2009 picture have accumulated over 27 courses with The DIY School with plans for 3 of them to book a further 6 making a total 33. An average of 3 courses per person. You will see typical feedback across the website but also here.
Course Design.
The DIY School course design enables us to coach you to achieve the highest quality of work that you are able. Through specifically designed practical training exercises and careful observation we treat each student as an individual giving them personal attention and coaching.
DIY Course Facilities
The DIY School training facilities in Stockport, just South of Manchester are second to none giving you ample work space plus superior tools such as DRAPER and materials such as ARDEX Tile Adhesives with which to develop your skills in a spacious, light and comfortable environment.
Our Trainers
Our team of full time trainers completes the essential trio of components that ensure your success. They come with a rich set of commercial, trade, property development and training experiences that enables them guide and coach you through your course. They enable you maximise the opportunity to learn and practice the skills of your choice ultimately going on to achieve your own individual goals and objectives.
Typical Customers and Objectives
Our customers come from a diverse range of backgrounds with an equally diverse set of objectives and reasons for learning new skills.
- Home Owners who struggle to find reasonably priced, reliable or even available Trades People find that the investment made in our courses very quickly pays for itself in time, money and quality of finish.
- Public Sector Organisations including Stockport, Trafford & Bury Education Authorities as well a Connexionshave come to The DIY School to enable young, less advantaged individuals to find all too scarce opportunities to prepare themselves for the jobs market. Read the Construction Courses for Young People case study to learn how Connexions Stockport and The DIY School have worked together with local young people.
Individuals facing redundancy or looking for a career change use The DIY School courses as a fast track method to protect their income stream and kick start a new career as a self employed trades person. Click on this Tiling Course success story to read about Paul's new career as a tiler. - Existing Trades People, such as plumbers, electricians, ground workers etc who want to increase the range of services that they offer and so their income.
- First time buyers looking get on to the property ladder can maximise their hard saved deposit by tackling refurbishment work themselves. This will enable them to buy cheaper or bigger than they would have had they needed to allocate deposit savings to employing trades people or buying a “ready to move in home”.
- Building Companies use our DIY courses as a basis for the training of their new employees. The investment enables the new employees to quickly become contributing members of the team requiring less supervision and thus reducing costs and increasing profitability.
- Maintenance Teams are sent to The DIY School in order to expand their range of skills enabling their employers to improve the range of tasks the team can cover. This reduces maintenance costs by reducing the need to employ external contractors and improving the effectiveness of preventative maintenance programmes.
- Property Developers who are able to become multi skilled quickly find that they can turn development projects round more quickly saving money on both interest payments and labour charges. For those less hands on, our DIY courses enable developers to have a better insight to the scope of a project. This in turn gives more accurate cost forecasts enabling better bids to be placed for properties, enable improved price negotiation with Trades and have an improved handle an quality.
- Shift Workers from Fire, Police and NHS for example who wish to maximise the extra earning potential that exists during their extended off duty periods regularly attend our courses.
- Individuals facing redundancy or looking for a career changeuse our DIY courses as a fast track method to protect their income stream and kick start a new career as a self employed trades person or “handyperson”
- Single Mums and Single Women who want to stop relying on other people to do home DIY, maintenance and improvements for them quickly enjoy a new found independence and will often progress from our DIY courses on to the more demanding project courses. Many have in fact used our courses to initiate new self employed careers!
- Besides corporate maintenance teams, HR and Training Departments can use our courses as a novel method of team building that also leaves employees with new and genuinely useful skills for life. The DIY School courses can also be offered through employee incentive schemes.
- Our Kids and Parents places are a unique idea for school holiday activities as well as an opportunity to experience a range of vocational career option in the Construction Industry.
Your course certificate
Every student will receive a course certificate upon completion of your training course. The certificate confirms your attendance and details all the skills covered acting as a useful reference for potential future employers and customers.
Employment and Project Advice
Throughout any of our DIY courses you will be able to ask our trainers questions about the trade that you are considering pursuing or about projects that you have in mind. Advice on estimating & quoting is available as well as our experiences with various tools and materials that you may be considering using or buying.
The DIY School on BBC Radio and Television
The DIY School is a regular contributor to BBC Radio Manchester having worked with Becky Want, Anthony Crank, Heather Stott and Sam Walker. We have also worked on BBC2 Homes Live. Having started with the plastering course, listen to what Kate, one of our multi course students, said when she came on air with us.
Click here to listen to what Pete said on the BBC Radio Manchester's Heather Stott show after his DIY Tool Use and HandyMan courses.
Hear Andy Gerrard from The DIY School discuss the value and skills learnt by attending a DIY course with Mike Sweeney from Rock Radio.
How to book your training courses.
You can book on line using credit card or e-cheques. Go the DIY course page, the course dates and on line booking can be found there.
Call us on 0161 477 4270 and we can take your credit or debit card booking over the phone.
Call in to The National Training Centre where we can accept Cash, Cheque or Cards.
Print off a booking form and send a cheque to us.
More customer feedback
Course content was excellent. It covered all the aspects that I was unsure about. The trainer was always willing to give advice and takes time to explain fully.
John Bridgewood - Plastering Course - The Advanced - January 09
The course was above expectation, was flexible with good advice throughout
Max Hatton - Bricklaying Course - Cavity Walls - February 09
The course was exactly what I wanted, (The trainer) is obviously skilled in his trade and inspires students with his enthusiasm. (Chose us over other local schools having visited others in the area )
Rick Hedley - Tiling Course - January 09
Excellent teacher, very knowledgeable and eternally patient. I am more than confident in starting my own project now...in fact I have started already!
Chris Lewis- Plastering Course - The Essentials - January 09
At no point during the course did Mike make you feel as though it was something that you couldn't do. A natural trainer and a great personality with it. I was amazed that after just 4 days I could get to the level that I did. excellent course and would highly recommend.
Paul Waterhouse- Plastering Course - The Essentials - January 09
Light hearted, bright, breeze to listen too and in all totally informative. The structure of the course caters for all levels of skill and not once are you put under pressure to keep up.
Andy Turner - Plastering Course - The Essentials - January 09
Mike had a lot of patience and was also very supportive and encouraging
Darren Hatton -Plastering Course - The Essentials - January 09
Glad that I chose the DIY School as the course was delivered to a really good standard and the staff were really nice.
Monica Thomas - London - Painting & Decorating Course - September 08
Friendly and knowledgeable. Exercises explained clearly and good follow up when doing exercises.
Julian Munro - Painting & Decorating Course - September 08
Superb! Words are not enough. Cannot recommend you highly enough.
Graham Carter - Plastering Course - The Essentials & Plastering Course - The Advanced - August 08
Well above my expectations, I could actually do it, amazing. I attended the plastering course because I am renovating my house and wanted to do the plastering myself because of costs. The course gave me all the information I needed and more.
Janet Darragh - Plastering Course - The Essentials- August 08.
Excellent Course. I didn't think that I could so much in 4 days.
Jay - Tiling Course - Aug 08
Very helpful and informative course which has given me the confidence to re-tile my property and possibly take tiling up as a trade. Very friendly and helpful. Always able to answer any questions and point out where I had gone wrong and how to put it right.
David Thomas - Tiling Course - August 08
As you know I have just done three courses with you over the last few months (diy, tiling and plastering). I would like to thank all of you for your very patient and professional manner. I thoroughly enjoyed all the courses and have already started putting some of my new found skills to good use around the house. I have to admit that I would never have dreamt that I had it in me – I have always avoided DIY like the plague.
Peter Carling - Isle of Man - Home Repairs, Tiling Course and Plastering Courses - July / August 08
Very methodical and well structured course. I now feel I have the confidence to skim or a wall or ceiling, dry line or repair defects in plaster work!! Very patient and knowledgeable instructor with a wealth of real world experience. Top Bloke!!
Gary Speakman - Essential Plastering Course - August 08
Excellent! I couldn't believe we covered so much in 4 days. It was great to get down to the practical straight away. We learned so much this way. Mike was fantastic. He was clear, encouraging and fun and truly professional in his role. Thank you.
Heather Gooch - Essential plastering Courses - May 2008
Excellent. As you know as an ex head teacher take to heart my comment. Super!
Graham Kellett - Essential Plastering Course - June 08
Very good. I couldn't even spell DIY this morning. Now I know what is in a tool box and why!
Simon Bate - DIY Tool Use - April 08
Basic enough but comprehensive enough. A lot learned in 6 hours. Should be taught in schools!
Sybil Leeman and her teenage son - DIY Tool Use - April 08
Very Useful and valuable course from beginners.
Alison Vasey - DIY Tool Use - April 08
Really good intro and demystifies the basics.
Anon - DIY Tool Use - April 08
You walk in having no idea and leave saying " I will be able to do that now"
Richard Leeman - DIY Tool Use - April 08
Good Instruction
Kendon Macdonald - DIY Tool Use - April 08
Excellent.
Warren Fields - Advanced Bricklaying Course - Mar 08
Super. Made me confident in brickwork
Peter Gaines - Advanced Bricklaying Course - Mar 08
A very challenging course but immensely rewarding.
Terry Wiggins - Essential Plastering Course - Mar 08
The course is intensive but in a fun and relaxed atmosphere
Terry Hill - Essential Plastering Course - Mar 08
Very Good
Imran Ghani - Essential Plastering Course - Feb 08
Brilliant. Would use & recommend to all.
Martin Hulme - Essential Plastering Course - Feb 08
Very Enjoyable. Very Informative
Neil Rankine - Essential Plastering Course - Feb 08
Excellent! Thoroughly enjoyed & will recommend to anyone interested in doing a course.
Trevor Marchington- Essential Plastering Course - Feb 08
Thoroughly enjoyable learning. Want to do more. Amazed how much content in the course.
Jude Neli - Painting & Decorating Course - Mar 08
Good fun, informative and very easily absorbed training.
Rachel Lakeland-Fox - 
Painting & Decorating Course- Mar 08
First Class. Coming Back for the tiling course.
Howard Lockwood - Painting & Decorating Course - Mar 08
Good fun.
Sue Ryder - Painting & Decorating Course - Mar 08
All the essentials in a relaxed atmosphere.
Gill Davidson - Painting & Decorating Course - Feb 08
Lots to do. Well organised and worked out
Paul Doherty - Painting & Decorating Course - Feb 08
Very informative, taught the basics required to create a professional job. -
Andy Warner- Tiling Course - Feb 08
Totally relevant to my need - property renovation. Course content and delivery were spot on. -
Colin Ardron- Tiling Course - Feb 08
I feel more independent now -
Donna Rees- DIY Home Maintenance - Feb 08
Good atmosphere, easy going, very informative. -
Pete Davies- Essential Bricklaying Course - Feb 08
Surprised at the quality of my work after 4 days -
Anon- Essential Bricklaying Course - Feb 08
Started as a novice, ended up a professional! -
Mark Husband- Essential Plastering Course - Feb 08
Excellent course, superb trainer. Would recommend to anyone. -
Stephen Lyth - Essential Plastering Course - Feb 08
Excellent, learned how to plaster and be confident doing it -
Anon - Essential Plastering Course - Feb 08
Couldn't believe how good you get in such a short length of time -
Jonathan Mills - Essential Plastering Course - Feb 08
Excellent 4 days of Training -
Gwyn Owens - Essential Plastering Course - Feb 08
"A brilliant mother and daughter experience. Both Emma ( 12 years old ) and I thoroughly enjoyed the learning curve"
Dee and Emma Hamilton - Tiling Course - Oct 07.
"Best learning experience I have had in years"
Zeeshan Jameel - Tiling Course - Oct 07.
"Worth every penny. Demystifies trade skills"
Phil Elsey- Essential Bricklaying Course - Nov 07.
"Very useful and great fun too. Could hardly believe how the time flew by"
Vivien Walsh - Home Maintenance Course - Dec 07.
"Great, really enjoyed it"
Kate Threadgold - Advanced Plastering Course - Jan 08.
"Here are some pictures of my first paid tiling job."
Paul Pearson - Tiling Course - Dec 07