The Painting and Decorating Association (PDA) has secured major funding from the CITB ConstructionSkills Growth Fund to carry out a major training needs research project for the industry.
The project will be the largest of its kind carried out since 1997 and the results will be used to produce a national Training Plan tailored to the painting and decorating industry. The PDA will work with professionals and with training providers to ensure appropriate courses and training programmes are available in order to provide for future demand.
The PDA determined that there was a strong need for in-depth analysis of training provisions in the sector after seeing the results of the recent CITB Employers Attitudes and Motivation Report (EAMR). One in ten of the employers who responded to the survey said that they feared that their businesses would not survive the current national economic situation. It showed that falling trade was seeing budgets being tightened, with skills training often some of the first things to be cut.
CITB-ConstructionSkills chief executive, Mark Farrar, said, “When budgets are tight, training is sadly often one of the first areas to be reined in. This is particularly concerning given that one in six workers will retire in the next 10 years, leaving a gaping hole in the industry’s skill base. Only through swift action can we start to generate the right skills for future growth, locally and nationally.”