Training

The UK’s largest trade body for the painting and decorating sector has hosted a nationwide competition for apprentices. The Painting and Decorating Association (PDA), held its annual Apprentice Paperhanger of the Year contest at Doncaster College and University Centre. 16 apprentices gathered to showcase their stamina and skill, taking on a gruelling six-hour challenge.

Leeds College of Building is set to be the only Yorkshire host for the 2022 SkillBuild Regional Qualifying Heats on 9 June.  SkillBuild is the largest and longest running multi-trade skills competition in the UK for construction trainees and apprentices. Delivered by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), SkillBuild forms part of WorldSkills UK and is often dubbed the ‘skills Olympics’ for some of the most in-demand construction trades. The competition will showcase some of the region’s most talented learners and apprentices. The event kicked off in April with 16 regional heats now happening at various colleges across the UK until the end of June.

Piloting a drone over a building site: just one of the latest virtual reality construction training activities that visitors could sample at the Leeds College of Building stand at this year’s Leeds Apprenticeship Recruitment Fair. The fair marked the start of the 15th annual National Apprenticeship Week (7th-13th February) and showcased a line-up of diverse exhibitors from across sectors. Leeds College of Building invited eventgoers to visit their stand to experience the latest VR technology currently used to teach students various aspects of Construction and the Built Environment. 

An award-winning Northampton-based painter and decorator who has helped 15 local apprentices make their first start in the trade has praised the positive impact that mentoring young workers has brought to his business. “Working with young people gives me purpose and it’s really satisfying to see them learn and grow – and it helps keep me young too” says Mike Poole, who has been welcoming apprentices at his business, Mike Poole Decorators, for the last 17 years.

By his own admission, decorator Simon Medlin used to have little experience with promoting his business online. That was until he sought the advice of his digitally savvy apprentice, Jordan, who has helped Simon develop a social media presence that has seen him gain millions of internet fans and a wealth of new customers to boot. Simon has been supporting the development of Jordan’s decorating career for the last five years, teaching him about the industry and helping to sharpen the skills he learned during his apprenticeship at Langley College in Slough. Simon says Jordan has now become an ‘integral part of the team’ and has also helped teach him a thing or two along the way – including the business benefits of using social media.

Dulux Academy is celebrating this year’s National Apprenticeship Week (7th - 13th February) by launching a new Apprentice Season Ticket, the first of several new initiatives that are being created to attract, develop, and retain new entrants to the industry.  The labour shortage has been well documented over the years and with more recent challenges associated with Brexit and the pandemic, the industry is now facing a crisis. Labour shortage is the number one concern for decorators and contractors, with research showing that new entrants to the industry are in decline. The trade is also contending with an ageing workforce, with the average age of a UK decorator being 50 and a total of 66% of decorators set to retire in the next 10 years. At the same time, there remains a distinct lack of diversity within appliers, with women making up just 20%.