Painting & Decorating Apprenticeships Guide

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Anyone who has a keen eye for design and creativity will enjoy work as a painter or decorator, as will those who have strong practical skills and can work independently.

Your career could see you applying paint coatings and wallcoverings in magnificent fashion to everything from houses and offices to schools and hospitals.

How do painting and decorating apprenticeships work?

A lot of your time studying for a painting and decorating apprenticeship, from the age of 16 years old, will involve on the job learning. 

You will gain the skills required to apply paint and protective coatings to all manners of buildings in a way that makes structures look good and are durable against wear and tear.

Working with the rest of your team and construction site managers, a day as a painter and decorator apprentice could see you:

• Preparing work areas safely using furniture protection materials and dust sheets.
   

• Preparing and then stripping surfaces by using heat and liquid techniques, as well as chemical etchants, abrasives and power sanders.
   

• Using appropriate paint when working on traditional solid walls, cavity walls, block buildings, dry-lined structures, reinforced concrete frames and steel frames.
   

• Wallpapering, whether that is with the use of standard wallpaper or through the hanging of lining paper.

It is important to note too that a minimum of 20 per cent of your normal working hours as a painting and decorating apprentice must be spent on off-the-job training.

This will see you obtaining the knowledge needed to become a skilled painter and decorator, with sessions possibly taking place at your place of work, via online portals, within a college or somewhere that your apprenticeship training provider sets up.

It will also be up to your training provider or employer to decide whether your off-the-job training is scheduled within a dedicated block of time, once a month or each week.

Different levels of painting and decorating apprenticeships explained

Training to become a painter and decorator through an apprenticeship will see you being presented with a couple of levels. Choosing the one that is best for you will be determined by your qualifications and experience in this trade.

Here are the two different levels available:

• An Intermediate Level 2 Painting and Decorating Apprenticeship requires you to hold either GCSE Grade D/3 in both English and Mathematics, or Functional Skills Level 1 in these subjects.
  Completing this course will see you achieve the equivalent of holding five GCSEs at Grade C/4+.
   

• An Advanced Level 3 Technical Diploma in Painting and Decorating Apprenticeship requires you to hold either five GCSE passes or to have successfully completed the Intermediate Level 2 Painting and Decorating Apprenticeship.
  Completing this course will see you achieve the equivalent of holding two A-Level passes.

Please take note though that the home nation where you will be studying could alter the structure and other elements of your time gaining a painter and decorator apprenticeship.

It is recommended that you check out the official and dedicated apprenticeship hubs for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales for specific details about becoming an apprentice in each nation.

How long is a painting and decorating apprenticeship?

It should take you two years to successfully complete an Intermediate Level 2 Painting and Decorating Apprenticeship, followed by another 18 months being required if you take up the option to work through an Advanced Level 3 Craft Painter and Decorating Apprenticeship.

The other levels of apprenticeships in painting and decorating can vary quite significantly in length depending on training provider and job role within this professional trade being pursued though. Therefore, research about length should be carried out once a course that appeals to you catches your eye.

Painting and decorating apprenticeship wages

As detailed on the GOV.UK website, your wages as a painting and decorating apprentice will be determined by how old you are and which year you are currently on in your apprenticeship:

• If you are an apprentice between 16 and 18 years old, you will be on the National Minimum Wage rate (currently £7.55).
   

• If you are an apprentice who is 19 years old or over and in the first year of your apprenticeship, you will also be on the National Minimum Wage rate.
   

• If you are an apprentice who is 19 years old or over but have completed the first year of your apprenticeship, you will be on the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage rate for your age.

Your apprentice wages must include the time you have spent doing your normal working hours, any training periods tied to your course, and any studying for English and Mathematics qualifications if these are part of your apprenticeship.

Now that you know more about where to begin applying for a painter and decorator apprenticeship, have you considered other professional trades that you could pursue a career in? Before you take the next step in your education and your career, be sure to check out our fantastic guides on how to become a plumber, roofer, builder, joiner or carpenter.

Disclaimer: Information displayed in this article is correct at the time of publication, but note that legislation changes periodically. The information contained on this page is intended as an overall introduction and is not intended as advice from a professional. Travis Perkins aims to avoid, but accepts no liability, in the case that any information stated is out of date.