Sixteen of the state's top painting firms recently received accredited Green Skills Training under the NSW Department of Education and Training's Green Skills program.

This training was the first of a number of courses to be provided state-wide under the GreenPainters Environmental Sustainability Program which was developed to improve environmental awareness amongst the painting industry. GreenPainters is the national sustainability initiative for the painting industry, and they collaborated with Impact Training to provide this training.

The GreenSkills training is aimed at preparing painters for the needs of the green building industry, eco-conscious consumers; and to improve environmental management in the industry in general.

Daniel Wurm, Managing Director of GreenPainters explained, “It was great to see such an enthusiastic response from the industry. We are really excited by the development of the course. We believe it will prepare our industry for the future. These businesses have shown a commitment to environmental best practice, and we hope this will result in benefits to the consumer, the environment, and the building industry in general.”

“The painting contractors that completed the course were encouraged to use and recommend products that can protect Indoor Air Quality and prevent smog formation; leading to healthier places to live, work, and play. We trained them to understand new paint technology such as heat-reflective nano-ceramics to reduce cooling costs. We estimate that the average Australian household can offset 18 tonnes of carbon per year, just by painting their house with heat-reflective products. It’s really exciting that the painting industry can play its part in reducing green-house gas emissions.”

Waste-water and environmental management was also included in the training, as was Green Star requirements, and new paint technology. The GreenSkills training was attended by representatives from the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water. Training was 90% funded by the NSW Government in partnership with the Australian Government.

Further information about GreenSkills Training is available from GreenPainters.