Education in Painting and Decorating

Skills For Work In Construction
Skills For Work is an initiative by the Scottish Executive Education Department to give young people aged between 14-16 years old the opportunity to train towards a Vocational Qualification in Construction. This Course which is equivalent to a Standard Grade is delivered both in School, a college of Further Education or a Partnership of both.

Young people when making their subject choice in S2 have the opportunity to train in six areas of construction including Painting and Decorating by committing themselves to a days training per week over two academic years.

The course will give a basic grounding in Painting and Decorating and give young people the chance to consider if a career in the Painting and Decorating industry is their preferred choice.

Supported by the Painting and Decorating industry the skills for work initiative is seen as a route into the industry by employers. It is also supported by CITB-ConstructionSkills who welcome this development by the Scottish Executive.

Skills For Work In Construction
The Painting and Decorating SVQ (Scottish Vocational Qualification) Level 3 Modern Apprenticeship Award is recognised by the Painting and Decorating industry as the training programme all new entrants to the industry should strive to achieve.

Developed by the Painting and Decorating industry and awarded by the Scottish Painting and Decorating Apprenticeship Council and Scottish Qualification Authority, this SVQ Level 3 programme sets out the foundation in which Painting and Decorating apprentices will progress their skills to meet the demands of the industry.

The Award covers all aspects of the trade in Scotland ensuring that all apprentices are trained in Health & Safety, Preparation and Application of Surfaces, Wall Coverings, Spraying and Decorative Finishes. The Award also provides training in Core and Organisational Skills.

New Entrants are required to attend College in the first two weeks of theory apprenticeship and undertake a Skills Test in their last year (year 4).

To achieve the SVQ Level 3 certificate an apprentice must achieve all units in the training programme and successfully pass the Skills Test and the Health & Safety test.

City and Guilds Advanced Craft Certificate
The City and Guilds Advanced Craft Certificate is an additional award which is not part of the SVQ Level 3 programme. Although available to all operatives in the industry the award is normally taken up by apprentices in year 3 of their apprenticeship.

The award as it suggests is an advanced course to enhance the skills that an apprentice has gained during the first two years of study at College.

Progressing from their first two years study apprentices will cover areas such as Papering Complex Surfaces, Applying Decorative Spray effects to Metal Leaf and Complex Powder.

The SVQ Level 3 coupled with the City And Guilds Advanced Craft gives a very sound grounding to an apprentice's knowledge of the Painting and Decorating industry.

HNC Painting and Decorating Supervision
Entry onto the Painting and Decorating Supervision course requires candidates to have at least the SVQ Level 3 in Painting and Decorating with the Adavanced Craft certificate a distinct advantage. This course which requires two years of study is aimed at those candidates who have shown they have supervisory or management ambition.

This wide ranging course covers the following subject areas:

1. Health and Safety Management
2. Properties of Substrates and Selection of Finishing Systems
3. Technical Problem Solving
4. Accident Prevention and basic First Aid procedures
5. Quality Assurance in Construction
6. Managerial Effectiveness

The HNC Painting and Decorating Supervision Award was developed by the Scottish Decorators Federation Telford and South Lanarkshire Colleges in Partnership with The Scottish Qualifications Authority.

Holders of this Award will be well equipped to progress within the industry certainly in a supervisory position in the first instance.