Apprentices

Watch a video on what it's like to be a painter. Levi Agostino is a young painter. Listen as he talks about what you will learn in your apprenticeship and what is a typical day for a painter:

A career in the painting and decorating industry can be creative and satisfying as you contribute to beautifying and preserving buildings and structures. The painting and decorating trade includes:

Wall-papering - It's back in fashion and totally hip! You can earn big bucks creating custom murals and funky looks
Lead Paint Management - Protecting the health of children and pregnant women
Decorative Finishes - Natural lime washes, marbling and creative broken colour effects that will blow your mind!
Working at Heights - Adrenalin junkie? Get your fix by helping us reverse climate change using radical new heat-reflective nano-technology on Australia's roofs! These are the absolute coolest paints around! Learn the ropes and you can help cut carbon emissions across Australia
Sustainable Paints and Coatings - If you think painting stinks, then you'll be happy to use the new Zero-VOC paint technology; a breathe of fresh air! Get a natural high and learn how to use natural paints and stains.

If you think this is you, then maybe a painting apprenticeship is for you.

Who should consider entering the painting and decorating trade?

Painters and decorators apply paint, varnish, wallpaper and other finishes to protect, maintain and decorate interior and exterior surfaces of domestic, commercial and industrial buildings and other structures.

A Painter and Decorator may perform the following tasks:

work out the quantity of materials needed for the job by taking surface measurements or by looking at job specifications or drawings
erect scaffolding, cradles and ladders, and placing drop-sheets to protect areas from dripping paint
remove old paint or paper by sanding or scraping or by using blowtorches or liquid paint removers and, when removing old paper, by using steam strippers
prepare surfaces by fixing woodwork, filling or sealing holes, cracks and joins, and washing them down to remove dust and grease
select and prepare paints to match colours by the addition of tints
brush, roll or spray the paints, stains, varnishes and other finishes
when wallpapering, set out the area according to the pattern match and starting point in the room, cut the paper to the appropriate length, apply paste to the back of each strip, and hang the paper on the wall, smoothing out any wrinkles or bubbles
spray paint surfaces using a spray gun or specialised equipment
apply decorative paint finishes such as stencils, colour glaze, graining, marbling and lettering
wash equipment and clean work areas

Painters may concentrate on a specific area of work, such as the internal or external painting of domestic homes, commercial buildings or industrial structures and equipment. They may work alone or as members of a team. They often work from ladders and scaffolding and do a lot of bending and stretching.

Personal Requirements:

· physically fit

· able to work at heights

· interested in practical work

· normal colour vision

· good sense of balance

Qualification Awarded: Certificate III Painting and Decorating

Download the CPC30611 Certificate III Painting and Decorating Fact Sheet

How do I get a painting and decorating apprenticeship?

It is highly recommended that people considering this career firstly undertake a pre-vocational Certificate I in construction. A pre-vocational course gives the student an idea of what it is like to work in the industry, providing some solid foundation skills to enter the workplace, and the opportunity to participate in on the job vocational placement. You will gain some credit for your apprenticeship by undertaking a pre-vocational course.

Many students find employment with the employer they are assigned to for vocational placement in their pre-vocational course. Check our forum for employers looking for apprentices.

Course Duration: 4 years (full time) - formal training completed after 3 years

A painting and decorating apprenticeship is broken into a number of stages. While this is time-tabled over 3 years this is competency based training,and therefore students can progress faster through some parts of the apprenticeship if they are fast learners.

South Australia: State Wide Group Training

Queensland: Australian Construction Training Services (user Choice)

Gladstone Group Training