Training conducted with the goal of 'understanding every process related to home repair'
Single-subject classes to run first, covering paint, tools, electrical, woodworking, tile, wallpapering, flooring and more
Ace Hardware is opening a 'Home Repair Academy' to spread the home-repair culture—already commonplace in advanced countries—throughout Korea.
The Home Repair Academy offers a variety of specialized education programs related to home repair, with the goal of 'understanding every process related to home repair.' In particular, it runs a curriculum that enables participants not only to carry out construction and repairs themselves, but also to supervise and manage work from an expert's perspective even when the work is commissioned to a contractor.
Because of COVID-19, the Home Repair Academy is running single-subject classes with a small number of participants, and it plans to establish a comprehensive class at the end of this year depending on the situation. Beginning with paint at the end of June, the single-subject classes are planned to expand step by step as hands-on basic courses covering topics related to home repair such as tools, electrical, woodworking, insulation, waterproofing, tile, wallpapering and flooring. The comprehensive class will cover 14 major construction processes, the preparation of checklists for each process, and emergency-response courses for home-repair issues such as electrical leakage, water leaks and freeze-bursting.
Located at Ace Hardware's Yongsan store, the Home Repair Academy is equipped with the tools and materials needed for each home-repair process as well as a workspace where hands-on practice is possible, so that everything from theory to practical training can be conducted in one place. Because the training space is located inside the Ace Hardware store, participants can see and understand a variety of materials and work tools firsthand alongside their training.
In addition, separate video materials are provided to enhance the training's effectiveness even after the course has been completed, and home-repair-related content will be offered on Ace Hardware's official YouTube channel for those who find it difficult to attend due to geographic constraints.
Lee Byung-woo, director of the Ace Hardware Home Repair Academy, said, "Unlike education programs that teach specialized skills and train technicians, the Home Repair Academy has prepared a variety of curricula aimed at the general public to deepen their understanding of home repair and spread an advanced home-repair culture," adding, "Through Ace Hardware, a world-renowned home-repair specialist brand, we hope people can experience not only expert home-repair consulting but also a home-repair culture in which anyone can improve their own living environment."
▲ Ahead of the opening of the Home Repair Academy, Eugene Home Center executives and staff take part in a class.