Painting & Decorating National Advisory Group meeting

The main function of the National Advisory Group (NAG) is to provide advice to BCITO to assist in achieving its objectives. NAG members should be actively involved or have a high level of interest in industry training, be available to provide expertise, current knowledge and skills for the betterment of the industry and be committed to working positively with BCITO to improve and enhance all aspects of industry training. Currently, we have nine Painting & Decorating NAG members. We have employers with active trainees and representatives from the supply chain and Master Painters, just to name a few.

Some of the key discussion points to come out of the meeting were:

• Apprenticeship Boost extended to the end of 2023. This will continue to support employers to take on apprentices.
• We are struggling to get people interested in this trade. There was general discussion about whether skilled people will be lost to the trade with the borders opening up, particularly to Australia.
• There are three new providers in 2022 to deliver block courses to Painting & Decorating apprentices – Ara Timaru, NorthTec and Otago Polytechnic. This is to accommodate our growing number of apprentices.
• Getting more women, Māori and Pasifika people working in the industry remains a priority and the group discussed the opportunities and barriers in getting more diverse people into the industry.
• The NAG was fortunate to have a representative from Waihanga Ara Rau (WDC) attend the meeting who gave an overview of what is happening in their space and the importance of the relationship between BCITO and Waihanga Ara Rau.
• The NAG will meet again later this year, hopefully in person for the first time in two years.

On behalf of BCITO, I want to thank the Painting & Decorating NAG members – Paul Reddish, Raymond Beveridge, Peter Edmonds, Mark Scammell, Todd Pickett, Darryl Olphert, Greg Thomas and Jim Dennis for taking the time out of their busy day to attend this meeting. As always, their input and commitment to this industry is invaluable.