Traditional Building Skills Event in Stirlingshire
Traditional building skills were showcased in Thornhill, Stirlingshire on 25 May 2016 to raise the profile of traditional building skills and materials to young people considering their career options.
School children from Stirling, Callander and Falkirk came along and were given the opportunity to try their hands at stonemasonry, joinery, roof slating & painting and decorating. The school children were also treated to a tour of the cutting yard and shown the processes from cutting the stone from the ground to being installed in a property.
The hands on demonstrations to the school children were kindly coordinated by Rooftec (Scotland), Historic Environment Scotland and Forth Valley College.
The event was run by the Forth Valley Traditional Building Forum at the premises of Tradstocks and was a truly collaborative event with Stirling Council, Falkirk Council, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, Historic Environment Scotland, Forth Valley College, Stone Federation GB, and National Federation of Roofing Contractors and was especially designed to encourage young people into thinking about a career in traditional building skills, as well as raising awareness of the skills that are so important in maintaining our historic environment.
There was also a talk to explain the opportunities within the traditional building sector and how to access apprenticeships locally.
John McKinney from the National Federation of Roofing Contractors said “it is essential that we encourage young people to consider the traditional building sector for their careers. We need to ensure there is a skilled workforce to repair and maintain our built heritage for future generations to enjoy and live in.”
Bob Raphael
26.05.2016 at 13:48Hi there, i attended this event with 5 pupils who had expressed an interest in the construction trade. The event was very well organised and included a tour of Stirling castle which helped set the context of what they would be learning about later on.
We then travelled to Tradstocks in Thornhill where the pupils had an opportunity to try their hands in a variety of trades. I have to say all of the lecturers, trades people and staff involved in training the pupils were excellent, and were happy to answer any questions the pupils had. The whole event was very well put together and the pupils experienced a lot in a short period of time. I would thoroughly recommend this event to teachers who have pupils interested in the construction industry.
Thanks to everyone who helped to put this event together!
John McKinney
26.05.2016 at 13:57Thank you for the positive feedback. It is fair to say that a considerable amount of time is required to make these events a success with everyone donating their time, skills and knowledge for the benefit of the industry.
On behalf of the Forth Valley Traditional Building Forum, I would like to thank you for organising the school visit. Without your participation the event would simply not have taken place.
I look forward to working with you on future events to promote the traditional building sector.