First birthday celebrations for Walsall College’s Bell Decorating Academy

Celebrations have taken place between The Bell Group and Walsall College after their training facility – the Bell Decorating Academy – enjoyed its first birthday.

Launched in June 2018, the Academy based at the college’s Green Lane campus has seen 40 students benefit from The Bell Group’s expertise. This has been through work placements, industry masterclasses, interview and CV writing workshops and skills competitions.

Selina David, Community Engagement Coordinator for The Bell Group said: “We’re incredibly pleased with how well the Academy has operated over the last 12 months.

Our intention was to bring students even closer to the industry, making them more aware of the environments they will be working from in the future and giving them the confidence to pursue job and apprenticeship opportunities with us.”

With The Bell Group currently recruiting four painting and decorating apprentices for their offices in Aston. Birmingham, students recently attended a recruitment session to help them with the application process.

Barry Hill, Curriculum Manager at the college said: “Working collaboratively with The Bell Group demonstrates how committed we are to equipping our students with a professional work ethic and enterprising spirit that employers and potential clients can instantly identify and be impressed by.”