An Aberdeenshire painting and decorating firm has been recognised at industry awards for its on-going commitment to training.

Deeside-based, R Davidson Painter & Decorator, which has been established since 1930, secured the national award following a nomination by the CITB, the industrial training board for the construction industry.

The painting and decorating firm, which is based at Brathens Business Park, on the outskirts of Banchory, has also been announced as a finalist in three categories, trades employer of the year, apprentice of the year and best business 11+ employees, at local trades awards taking place in June.

R Davidson, which is one of the North-east’s longest established home improvement contractors, currently has over 80 employees specialising in bespoke painting and decorating, ames taping and plastering service. The firm has invested heavily in training for all employees over the last few years and has formally registered 17 apprentices in four years, with an on-going commitment to source six new apprentices each year.

Owner and managing director of R Davidson, Trevor Mutch, said: “As the business has grown, we recognised the importance of having a quality workforce and decided to develop a structured training and development plan to support this vision. This award recognises the team’s hard work and effort behind the scenes to ensure we have a comprehensive programme in place to help us to develop the potential of our employees.

“As a company, we are 100% committed to offering our employee’s exceptional training and development opportunities. This includes encouraging our older employers to gain senior or supervisory positions and also assist our apprentices who are just starting out on the career ladder.”

Company development adviser of CITB, Vanessa Gallant, said: “R Davidson has a long history of investing in training across all roles within the company, with a commitment to attracting and retaining talent within their industry. Their training plan exhibits commitment to provide a variety of courses to develop employee’s potential, along with continual training to improve business processes and in-house training capabilities. They are also very focused on the health, safety and well-being of their workforce with specific training courses completed to increase staff awareness and keep them safe on projects.”

R Davidson, which has a wide range of private and commercial clients in Aberdeen and the North-east, working on some of Aberdeen’s most prestigious developments, including the renovation of the city’s Marischal College, new business park Prime Four, and Chester Hotel, is currently recruiting for six apprentice painters for summer and has a vacancy for a trainee quantity surveyor, suitable for a school leaver.