HTAE is celebrating apprentice Callum Parnaby, who has reached the Grand Final of the 2026 Painting and Decorating Association Apprentice of the Year (Senior Plus category)
Hull Training and Adult Education is celebrating the success of apprentice Callum Parnaby, who has reached the Grand Final of the Painting and Decorating Association (PDA) Apprentice of the Year Competition 2026 in the Senior Plus category.
Callum, 21, is currently completing his Level 3 Painting and Decorating apprenticeship with Pittaway, having started his journey on the Level 2 course before progressing. He said moving up felt like the right step, giving him the chance to build more advanced skills like wallpapering, spraying and decorative finishes — areas he’s really enjoyed getting into.
He was selected to compete in the Midlands Regional Heat at South & City College Birmingham on 30 April, where apprentices from across the region were put through their paces. The competition tested a wide range of skills, from measuring and setting out designs to detailed brushwork, decorative effects and stencil preparation, all under timed conditions. Callum’s strong performance saw him score highly enough to earn a place in the national final.
He’ll now head to Doncaster College on 4 June, where he’ll compete against the top apprentices from across the UK for the title of Senior Plus Apprentice of the Year 2026.
Callum’s path into painting and decorating started at school, when a teacher suggested a career in the trades while he was still deciding what he wanted to do. Wanting something hands-on, he chose an apprenticeship — and hasn’t looked back since. “You see instant results from what you’re working on and that’s what makes it so rewarding,” he said.
That sense of achievement is a big part of what drives him, especially when working on high-quality finishes. “There’s nothing better than hanging a few-hundred-pound roll of paper and seeing no joins at all,” he said.
Through his apprenticeship with Pittaway, Callum has already worked on a range of impressive projects, including country manors, the Maritime Museum and a large mansion renovation in Lincoln. No matter the scale of the job, he says he still gets the same sense of pride seeing the finished result.
He also credits the support he’s had along the way, highlighting the tutors, employer and learning environment as key to his progress.
“Apprenticeships are hard work, but you get out what you put in,” he said.
Reaching the national final is a fantastic achievement and puts Callum among the very best apprentices in the country. Everyone at HTAE will be cheering him on as he heads into the final in June.
Callum and his work at the Midlands Regional Heat at South & City College Birmingham