Opinion

Training crisis is everyone’s problem

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  1. Denise, it’s good to see articles like attached! Unfortunately I have been trying for over three years to get this charity going! I have used all my own money in setting up this charity! Its actions we need to see, not words?

    Please see below:

    Heritage Skills is the name of the newly formed training academy for the North West of England. It has been set up as a charity in order to provide appropriate training and education in building conservation skills that focuses on a number of key areas;

    1. The delivery of the NVQ 3 Heritage Skills qualification for a range of building crafts including brickwork, stonework, roof work, plasterwork and carpentry.

    2. The provision of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses for heritage based professionals including architects, surveyors, planners and conservation officers etc. The aim here is to improve the specification and inspection of heritage works by providing them with the key knowledge.

    3. Introductory courses in historic building crafts for listed building owners, built environment students and members of the public who have an interest in such skills and may wish to carry out minor repairs to their property

    Firstly and most importantly, our aim is to provide traditional building and conservation skills in the North West – to professionals. Crafts people, students, people with disabilities etc.

    Also retraining local people who are unemployed to work on traditional buildings and have a stake in their community. Regeneration and re-use of vacant traditional buildings including Victorian Houses and Listed Buildings using the people we have trained. Thereby regenerating deprived communities. This provides real jobs for people and builds up the community. Making older buildings sustainable and energy efficient through conversion and adaptation.

  2. Denise,

    Brilliant post and much needed; the industry in trouble and I am concerned that it is not sure how deep, what to do about it and is looking for someone else to take responsibility for making the necessary decisions to get on track.

    Already we’re seeing a massive skills gap in terms of people with 3-5 years experience that employers wish to recruit as they are the engine room of most businesses, and the gap is the product of decisions that were taken to survive 3-6 years ago. The problem is, those same survival decisions are going to inhibit future growth.

    As well as the green shoots you mention there are excellent initiatives such as Design… Engineer… Construct! (http://designengineerconstruct.com/) bringing the industry in to schools, raising it’s profile while also giving real world skills to students as well as GCSE approved points.

    We need to make the public aware that there is more to building than the outside of a building that you can see and communicate the work that goes on before foundations are even dug, for too long, too many people have no idea about just what the building is, how broad the career options presented or how crucial it is to the UK economy. I certainly didn’t and while in my role I sit on the edge of the industry, I’m actively working to change that level of knowledge about it.

    I believe that by getting behind initiatives such as this, being adaptable as to its approach and the people that are taken on the industry will resolve this problem, but it needs action from everyone rather than rhetoric and the sooner the better.

  3. I share very similar views to your post. I struggled when I was starting out in the Construction industry and wished their would be better options for me back 20 years ago. I have now decided to try and give back by creating an online resource to help Construction workers with the information they need to get qualified – http:/www.constructiontraininghq.com

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