Trade body calls for Birmingham students to consider career in colour

As the UK’s largest trade body dedicated to the painting and decorating sector, the PDA represents thousands of operatives across the country and provides a range of support for apprentices and employers.

Each year the Association hosts two nationwide competitions, the Apprentice of the Year and the Apprentice Paperhanger of the Year, with prizes presented at its prestigious Premier Trophy Awards and annual Gala Dinner.

PDA Chief Executive Neil Ogilvie said: “There are so many opportunities for young people considering a career in colour, and I can testify to that personally, having started out as a painting and decorating apprentice in Yorkshire and now being Chief Executive of a national trade body.

“Apprentices who have entered PDA competitions have had the chance to meet up with their peers from across the country, attend awards events and some have even travelled with us to Slovenia for a charity revamp of an elementary school there.

“Working as a painter and decorator can be hugely rewarding. There are specialist skills to learn, and jobs can vary from transforming someone’s home to applying industrial coatings to a rollercoaster or restoring heritage features in an historic building.”

The PDA’s Apprentice of the Year competition is already underway, but entries are still open for the Association’s Apprentice Paperhanger of the Year, which challenges apprentices with a six-hour test of precision, stamina and skill.

Neil Ogilvie added: “We’re encouraging students who are considering their next steps to think about a career in colour.

“We’ve seen apprentices go on to the World Skills competition, launch their own businesses and move into new roles within the industry – there is wide scope for progression in painting and decorating, and we’re keen to welcome new talent into the sector.”

The PDA has acted as a collective voice for painters and decorators since 1894, lobbying on their behalf at a national level and hosting a series of key events that showcase the skill and professionalism of painters and decorators throughout the year.