Traditional Building Skills Training Scheme hits the HLF jackpot!
02 May 2010, The Traditional Building Skills Bursary Scheme for England and Wales has been awarded £500,000 more funding to continue offering training bursaries to individuals to develop their traditional building skills. With this £1,400,000 HLF grant and contributions from the partner organisations of English Heritage, The National Trust, Cadw, ConstructionSkills and the National Heritage Training Group, the £1.75 million project will continue until March 2012, providing up to 55 additional bursary placements.
Since the Scheme began in 2006, it has provided 70 placements for individuals to undertake work-based learning in a variety of building skills with contractors specialising in working on old buildings. Placements focus on specific building skills including: blacksmithing, brickwork, carpentry and joinery, earth building, painting and decorating, stonemasonry, traditional roofing, Some Trainees have been able to gain their NVQ level 3 Heritage Skills qualification and their Heritage Skills Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card which will allow them to work on heritage sites from 2010.
Manager of the Scheme, Clara Willett said: “With this extra funding we can build on the achievements so far and make more opportunities for people. Over 90% of our Trainees remain working in the built heritage sector after they have finished their placement, many of them with their placement provider. These bursaries make opportunities and help committed individuals into the work they want to do and in the wider sense help address the skills shortage in the built heritage sector. We have plenty of interest from individuals wanting to develop, but we still need more contractors, small or large to come forward to offer placements”.
For more information please contact Clara Willett, Bursary Scheme Manager on 01442 890756 or emailor visit the Traditional Building Bursary website at:www.buildingbursaries.org.uk