07.02.05
New training in old skills

Cornwall Sustainable Building Trust (CSBT) is about to commence another phase of STAKES (Skills Training Across Key Emerging Sectors), an Objective One Project co-funded by the Learning and Skills Council and the European Social Fund. It is traditional and sustainable building skills training, based within the Comp Air Holman's factory in Camborne, thanks to landlords English Partnerships and Camborne Pool and Redruth Urban Regeneration Company.

Working in partnership with Cornwall College and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), the training is to be focussed on expanding the skills of employed masons to include conservation skills such as stonework with lime mortars, lime rendering and scantle slating.

Cornwall College's senior lecturer Viv Stratton has already delivered the first course that was highlighted at the recent Down to Earth Exhibition at Mount Pleasant Ecopark Porthtowan, where over 700 visitors were impressed by the works undertaken.

Viv Stratton says: "Some of the trainees that were on the recent course were using their acquired skills for the restoration of Boscastle and Crackington Haven, which were badly damaged by severe floods in August 2004.”

In Britain today, out of the twenty four million homes, thirty seven per cent require specialist skills and therefore there is a manual skills shortage throughout the country, particularly in Cornwall, and nowhere more noticeably than in the skills necessary to conserve and restore the historic built environment.

It is hoped to develop these off campus courses to include trainees practicing their specialist skills on heritage sites, Grade 1 and Grade 2 Listed Buildings, as well as Cornwall's Industrial Heritage Sites, such as old mine buildings etc, to undertake supervised restoration works. This has already been successfully trialled and it is hoped to integrate the training on a number of locations by including local conservation officers and specialist contractors on the Traditional Skills Steering Group. The companies participating in this Traditional Skills Training will be included in the Local Authority Register of Qualified Contactors for tendering purposes.

CSBT's Paul Bright said: "Contractors hoping to tender for an increasing number of conservation works should be working with us and ensuring that their employees have the skills needed to undertake traditional building works.”

Our courses require at least twelve days attendance backed up by a portfolio of site evidence in order to achieve an NVQ level 3 in conservation craft masonry. This should appeal to skilled workers keen to extend their range into specialist traditional restoration areas.

For the less advanced but no less committed there is what is known as the adult upskilling route, where suitable trainees may attend one or more phases of training and aim to achieve an NVQ Level 2 initially with possible progression to higher levels. This approach is also supported by CITB grants to assist employers to release staff for training. The training is supported by CITB training and achievement grants.

The Constructive Cornwall scheme is an innovative partnership between CITB Construction Skills, Job Centre Plus, Learning & Skills Council (LSC), South West Regional Development Agency (RDA) and Cornwall College. The partnership works with local contractors to address the industry skills shortage by facilitating the employment of local people within Cornwall's construction industry through subsidised training and grants. It also assists these contractors to qualify their workforce both at craft and professional levels.

The Combined University in Cornwall, Cornwall County Council and Cornwall Sustainable Building Trust are also supporting the scheme and looking for their contractors and partners to support the initiative.

Peter George of CITB Construction Skills said: "We are assisting contractors to train their existing workforce by removing their real or perceived barriers to training and identifying local people who want to work within the construction industry.”

Traditional Skills training will commence on Wednesday 23rd February and there are still a few places left. There will also be a three day intensive course 6-8th April, for roofers to extend their skills to include scantle slating and a one day "understanding lime" course on 27th April.

Cornwall Sustainable Building Trust (CSBT) has received investment from the Objective One European Social Fund.via the Learning and Skills Council.

For more information employers should contact CSBT on 01726 68654 or download an application from www.csbt.org.uk.

Editor's notes:

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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