diy and skills for life courses (necessarily long)

homersimpson_3

are there are courses which will teach people skills for life. time and time again i read on this & other forums situations where people have to call in tradesman for jobs other forum readers claim are simple to resolve. alot of people for a host of reasons do not have the skills to do these 'simple' jobs or someone to teach them. buying a basic diy book is not sufficient. they need to be shown and practice without doing any damage to their own homes and having to call in someone to repair that!.
-e.g. budgeting; basic diy (e.g. wire a plug, fit a lock in a door; how to paint and wall paper; how to make a hanging basket; which plants to plant in which part of garden; drilling holes; how to change a belt in a washing machine; which is the 'proper' way to mow a lawn (go up and then turn around and come down and then go back up again; how to run a phone line from a lounge to a bedroom; how to put up a rail for a shower curtain; how to varnish wood- would you remove old varnish first (if so with what? and how?) and then re varnish?; how to clean tools so they don't rust) etc).
many do not want to go to college or prefer male/women only groups. my friend wants a lovely garden but does not know how to garden; i know of a gentleman who sat in the dark for years because he didn't know how to change a fuse and a light bulb and had no one to ask. (sad but true- he now has light).
people who claim it's easy take may take such skills for granted. it's a bit like saying to an illiterate person read a book- how can they read if they never been shown or taught! any suggestions?. thanks

Chabsy

Very good questions, I meet people in different walks of life every day, i have a practical job and many of these people are scared of attempting the most simple diy job, others are the complete opposite 1 guy i see is in the process of building his own 2 storey extention, i'm not so sure that you analogy about the illiterate person reading is correct, sometimes it is more like asking a person with dislectsia to read, they can be shown but boy is it hard work.
Basically what i am trying to say is horses for course some people are good a some stuff and some at others. There are many very intellient people i know who cannot comphrehend pracital stuff, but if you want to save a bit of tax or understand the t&c on a contract thay are you men/women.
I do think though if you want to learn you will learn but if you cba or dont enjoy it or are scared of making mistakes then you wont, i'd much rather see some fail than not try.

crankup

Our local college has a few courses answering your needs. It has a "DIY For Women" course running for 10 weeks - tiling, painting, laminate flooring, brickwork. It also has a Basic Plumbing course and motor vehicle maintenance too.
Then again, you say that your friends want to learn but dont want to go to college. I dont know in that case.

As for gardening, I've argued (drunkenly, I'll admit) that there is a market for someone to teach people to look after their own gardens - like a personal trainer but for your garden. They pay you to work with them in their garden. Missus wont let me touch anything in ours though....!