Heritage skills scheme launched
A new scheme to train people in Heritage Building Skills has been officially launched at an Open Day in Llandeilo.
Carmarthenshire County Council has been awarded a £662,400 Heritage Lottery Fund grant to provide local people with opportunities to acquire traditional heritage building skills.
Training will be particularly targeted to attract younger people and women and will include lime plastering, stone masonry, slate and tile roofing, carpentry and joinery.
The scheme will cover Carmarthenshire; Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.
The Heritage Bursary Open Day was a great success with potential trainees travelling from far and wide to find out about the scheme.
During the day visitors were able to learn more about the skills needed to restore and maintain old buildings effectively. These skills are currently in great demand but short supply.
Visitors were given the chance to try their hand at plastering with lime under the guidance of Nigel Gervis from Ty Mawr Lime. Nigel also explained to visitors why the use of lime on old buildings is more appropriate than using modern materials such as cement.
Selwyn Jones demonstrated his stone carving skills and motivated many of the visitors to apply for a trainee position on the scheme. Staff and students from Coleg Sir Gar demonstrated a range of traditional carpentry and stonemasonry techniques. Cliff Blundell and Nell Hellier also provided inspiration through their talks about our build heritage.
There is a significant shortage of these traditional building skills in West Wales that are essential for the conservation of the high number of heritage buildings in the area.
The project aims to provide 12 month accredited quality work-based training for 30 trainees at genuine heritage construction sites with the opportunity to attain a heritage qualification at NVQ3 or higher.
Local heritage employers have struggled in recent years to find suitable apprentices with relevant experience.
Stone mason Selwyn Jones, who is based in Betws, near Ammanford, said: “I’ve not come across anyone in recent years with the basic skills needed to develop a career in the heritage building sector. I’m delighted to hear that this will now be reversed and I’ll be putting myself forward to offer work based training placements.
“I’m passionate about traditional skills and I want to be able to pass on this knowledge to the next generation.”
Many people have expressed their interest in applying for the scheme but if you haven’t already there is still plenty of time to do so. The application packs will be sent out in June 2011 so if you are interested, please contact Helena Burke (hburke@sirgar.gov.uk/ 01559 824271).
Applications are invited from people who have experience in the building industry and a passion for learning more about traditional building methods. The project covers Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.
Carmarthenshire County Council has been awarded a £662,400 Heritage Lottery Fund grant to provide local people with opportunities to acquire traditional heritage building skills.
Training will be particularly targeted to attract younger people and women and will include lime plastering, stone masonry, slate and tile roofing, carpentry and joinery.
The scheme will cover Carmarthenshire; Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.
The Heritage Bursary Open Day was a great success with potential trainees travelling from far and wide to find out about the scheme.
During the day visitors were able to learn more about the skills needed to restore and maintain old buildings effectively. These skills are currently in great demand but short supply.
Visitors were given the chance to try their hand at plastering with lime under the guidance of Nigel Gervis from Ty Mawr Lime. Nigel also explained to visitors why the use of lime on old buildings is more appropriate than using modern materials such as cement.
Selwyn Jones demonstrated his stone carving skills and motivated many of the visitors to apply for a trainee position on the scheme. Staff and students from Coleg Sir Gar demonstrated a range of traditional carpentry and stonemasonry techniques. Cliff Blundell and Nell Hellier also provided inspiration through their talks about our build heritage.
There is a significant shortage of these traditional building skills in West Wales that are essential for the conservation of the high number of heritage buildings in the area.
The project aims to provide 12 month accredited quality work-based training for 30 trainees at genuine heritage construction sites with the opportunity to attain a heritage qualification at NVQ3 or higher.
Local heritage employers have struggled in recent years to find suitable apprentices with relevant experience.
Stone mason Selwyn Jones, who is based in Betws, near Ammanford, said: “I’ve not come across anyone in recent years with the basic skills needed to develop a career in the heritage building sector. I’m delighted to hear that this will now be reversed and I’ll be putting myself forward to offer work based training placements.
“I’m passionate about traditional skills and I want to be able to pass on this knowledge to the next generation.”
Many people have expressed their interest in applying for the scheme but if you haven’t already there is still plenty of time to do so. The application packs will be sent out in June 2011 so if you are interested, please contact Helena Burke (hburke@sirgar.gov.uk/ 01559 824271).
Applications are invited from people who have experience in the building industry and a passion for learning more about traditional building methods. The project covers Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.
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