Issue 35 autumn 2022 - Flipbook - Page 58
Historic Environment
Scotland (HES)
increases delivery of
vital traditional skills
training to support
green recovery
HES and Forth Valley College are welcoming the new cohort of apprentice stonemasons to
the Stirling and Elgin training centres, equal to their highest ever intake, as courses begin for
the new academic year.
“Our built environment in Scotland is predominantly
stone, making it crucial that we ensure we have a continuing supply of trained stonemasons to conserve this
heritage. We remain committed to the delivery of this
training which will make a real difference to communities
across Scotland, and ensuring that the traditional skills,
materials and construction methods of the past can
support our future.”
The organisation has recently significantly increased its
capacity for traditional skills training with the opening of
a new larger facility in Stirling, building on the successful
delivery of Modern Apprenticeships in Stonemasonry for
over 10 years in the city, and for over 20 years in Elgin.
HES operates both training centres in partnership with
Forth Valley College.
The training will help the wider construction sector
address the current skills shortage in maintenance and
repair, supporting green jobs and skills and ensuring that
Scotland’s historic buildings can thrive as part of the
country’s sustainable future.
Dr Ken Thomson OBE, Principal of Forth Valley College,
said: “We are extremely proud of the relationship we have
with Historic Environment Scotland and are very happy
to see that this new intake of Stonemasonry Modern
Apprentices is equal to the highest ever.
Of the approximately 2.6m dwellings in Scotland that
make up the nation’s housing stock, around 20% are
traditional buildings. Developing the specialist skills to
maintain these historic assets will be crucial to achieving net-zero targets, in order to make the best use of
their existing embodied carbon and to minimise the
environmental cost of new construction.
“We as a College are delighted to work with the
organisation that champions vital traditional skills training in Scotland and protects and maintains our historic
buildings. The fact that HES is also doing this in a sustainable way to meet net zero targets, similar to our own
aims, is another reason why we are delighted to have them
as one of our main business partners and we look forward
to our relationship going from strength to strength in the
years to come.”
Figures from the Fraser of Allander Institute also demonstrate the wider value of investment in traditional skills
training, with every £1m directly spent on the repair,
maintenance and improvement of buildings supporting
21 full-time equivalent jobs across Scotland – 40% higher
than for new builds.
More information on the Skills Training Centres can be
found on the HES website,
www.historicenvironment.scot/learn/skills-and-training/skills-training-centres/
Colin Tennant, Head of Technical Education and
Training at HES, said: “We’re delighted to see such a
high uptake for our stonemasonry training courses,
demonstrating the demand there is from the sector for
these vital skills.
For further information on the Stonemasonry MA, visit
the Forth Valley College website,
www.forthvalley.ac.uk/industry-training/modern-apprenticeships/stonemasonry/
“Investing in our traditional skills supports a circular
economy that delivers good, green jobs and boosts
local supply chains of traditional low-carbon materials,
providing a sustainable alternative to building new.
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Conservation & Heritage Journal
56