The Western Institute of Technology in Melbourne prides itself upon being the first private college in Victoria to offer Certificate III in Painting and Decorating to domestic and international students.

The first group of students began taking classes in October 2009 and since then it has been obvious that this is a very popular choice as our seats continue to fill up at each intake of new students.

Our Certificate III in Painting and Decorating course is delivered over 52 weeks at WIT’s Building and Construction campus in Maidstone. Here, the students experience a hand’s on approach to training from knowledgeable and qualified painters who have much expertise and skills to share. The student learns all aspects of this vast trade and their graduation gives them the skills they require to be a successful tradesperson in an ever-growing industry.

Since we began delivering the course back in 2009, we have had around 350 enrolments. Out of this, approximately one third has been females! These figures may come as a shock to some but here at WIT all of our students are treated fairly and equally and the same amount and type of work is expected from each and every student.

In Maidstone, the students are trained in 28 different units ranging from the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) units such as “Work safely in the construction industry” (White card) to the more detailed units such as “Apply decorative paint finishes” and “Apply advanced wallpaper techniques”. Each student is assessed practically as well as in a written exam and are only deemed competent when the qualified trainer and assessor is satisfied that the student has proven their ability to carry out the task and understands every aspect of the subject.
We also deliver two business units to our students as we feel these will aid them in the running of their own business should they wish to follow that pathway.

The building and construction industry is an ever changing one and the demand for trades’ people such as painters and decorators is constantly on the increase. Therefore WIT is proud to be of assistance to this demand by delivering quality education and training to students, both male and female, who want to learn the real skills required to become a successful trade’s person.

Western Institute of Technology has heard many success stories about our female graduates of the Certificate III in Painting and Decorating course. Some of them continue on to further their education in business studies or another trade whereas others seek immediate employment in the field to increase their experience and become more familiar with work on the site.

Either way, the outcome of our delivery of this course has been very successful and we will continue to produce these positive results and give everyone an equal opportunity to thrive in what once was a male dominated industry!