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No matter how easy DIY influencers make tiling a bathroom look, not everyone can learn home renovation skills on the internet.

That’s why people are lining up to take classes at Edmonton’s DIY Training Center, a skills academy located at 16690 133rd Ave. N.W. Owners Colin Herring and Jackie White, who founded the Calgary academy in 2019, opened the 2,500-square-foot Edmonton location in November, offering courses in everything from how to use power tools, patch drywall, basic plumbing and more. Students learn do-it-yourself skills from trade professionals in a hands-on classroom setting.

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“People want the satisfaction of learning how to do projects around the house or they’re getting quotes from contractors for renovation work and find it’s out of their budget. They’re on Google trying to see what their choices are and that’s where we pop up,” says White. “Our classes are for people who want to get those tools in their hands. They’re a complement to what people can learn online.”

There are introductory sessions and classes from one to six days duration that are open to everyone regardless of age and experience. Programs include how to wire your basement, build shelves, install bathroom fixtures, or build a deck. There are kids camps and women’s only programs to help ladies swing a hammer with confidence.

“If you want to take a class, never be fearful. Think of men in a class where the stigma is that they should know how to use power tools, or they should know how to fix this and that. Men are in beginner classes too, and they have just as much fear. Everyone is there for the same reason. They want to learn,” she says.

Classes start at $145, and a full calendar is available on the DIY Training Center website. The academy is one of 350 exhibitors at the Edmonton Home and Garden Show, March 21 to 24 at the Edmonton Expo Centre. White says they’ve decided not to host demonstrations on the classes they teach, but instead will encourage show goers to pick up a tool at their booth and learn how to actually patch a hole in a piece of drywall or to lay a piece of vinyl plank flooring.

More information on exhibitors, show features and Main Stage speakers is available on the Edmonton Home and Garden Show website. Save $2 per ticket by purchasing in advance online.

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