A stroke of genius
CALLUM Bonner hated school and thought his future looked bleak.
But when he realised he was a dab hand at practical things, his future began to look a lot brighter.
Now the 20 year old, from Tullibody, Clackmannanshire, is a world-class painter and decorator.
World class? That sounds grand
It does, especially as my day-to-day job is working for my local council taking care of tenants’ housing, schools and other public buildings. When I’m not working, though, I am training and competing in WorldSkills competitions in places like Budapest, against painters and decorators from around the world. I’m obsessed with detail which goes down well. I hope to qualify to get to Russia for the 2019 competition . What does the day-today stuff involve?
At the moment I am working on kitchens for tenants which are all being ripped out, refitted and modernised. The job is so satisfying. I go in and something might look dingy and grim, but as I leave it looks bright and clean.
Seeing how grateful and delighted people are adds to the job satisfaction. The fact that where I work is a very small district means I know most people, or they know me. That can be great but also not so great – they all want me to pop back and do other jobs for them. There wouldn’t be enough hours in the day to do all the jobs I’m asked to do.
Weekends are spent doing odd jobs for friends and family – I enjoy it though.
Club Med 80+ jobs
What do you hate about it?
I can’t stand stripping off wallpaper. My heart sinks when I go into a job and see walls covered in it. Out comes the steamer and off we go. There’s no choice but to get on with it. What’s your favourite part of the work?
I love wallpapering – it is so satisfying to see the finished results, especially if it is a complex pattern and has taken some good working out to get it right. What if you hate the colour or design?
I have no choice but to ignore focus on getting it right.
Job Fairs
Callum Bonner
500+ jobs Fish4jobs 17,955 jobs
it and How did you get into the work?
At school I did better at woodwork and technical drawing, so I realised I needed to follow a practical path. I certainly couldn’t face staying on at school.
I applied for loads of apprenticeships including plumbing and joinery and was eventually offered one from Clackmannanshire Council doing my studies at Forth Valley College. I got stuck into the job from day one. College was so different from school in that what I was learning was so relevant. I realised at the start that I am meticulous and always determined to get the job done perfectly. You need that as a decorator – especially if you’re going to do well at it. What is your dream?
I would love to run my own business but I’ve still got a lot to learn so I will keep my head down and focus on that. CONSTRUCT A JOB
With the constant need to decorate, repair houses and buildings, and build new homes and offices, the building trade in the UK is always on the lookout for new people. We’ve found 15,031 jobs.
Click on to fish4jobs.co.uk and you’ll find 2,149 jobs ranging from an assistant civil engineer in Exeter (£28,000) and a groundworker/labourer in Walsall (around £20,000) to multiskilled carpenters in Worcester (£22,905 to £24,683) and bathroom fitters in Hereford (£24,374).
At gov.uk/jobsearch, there are 7,875 trade and construction jobs. These include a groundworker in Hendon, North London (£17.50 an hour), a window installer in Brighton (up to £1,200 per week), a painter/decorator in Feltham, West London (£16 per hour) and bricklayers in Chesterfield (£20 per hour).
At careersinconstruction.com, there are 1,863 live jobs including 188 quantity surveyors, 461 engineers, 52 building trades and 263 architects. At hays.co.uk, there are 3,239 construction and property jobs and trades positions.
If you want to learn and earn, visit getingofar.gov.uk for 169 construction and building apprenticeships. CONTACTS
■ Construction Industry Board, citb.co.uk
■ Construction Skills Scheme, cscs.uk.com
■ City & Guilds, www.cityandguilds.com ■ WorldSkills, worldskillsuk.org/ competitions. Apprentices can register for 2019’s WorldSkills UK Competitions
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