Skills for Wales newsletter – Spring 2021 issue

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June 23rd, 2021

Welcome to our first Skills for Wales newsletter, the theme is Heritage Construction and includes:

  • A round-up of interesting and useful information that can be used for Continued Professional Development (CPD)
  • Links to relevant resources
  • Useful Industry contacts
  • Details of events, suppliers and training
  • New industry developments that will assist in delivering Construction and Building Services courses.

The theme of this initial Newsletter is Heritage Construction.
Please get in touch to let us know what other themes that you would like to see included in this quarterly industry update.

Fantastic and Free! – On-line learning resources

If you are looking for interactive resources to help your learners understand old buildings- look no further!

Three modules have been developed thanks to CITB funded Heritage Construction in Wales (HECW) Project.

The modules are:

Each module is available in both Welsh and English and is aimed at an introductory level of understanding. These resources are free for you to use by clicking on the headings above.

Rare Roman remains

What happens if you discover rare Roman remains on the site of your new housing development?

To find out more about how archaeologists and developers work together to protect our heritage, read the full story.

Training for the Trainers

Tutors from Pembrokeshire College have joined the Tywi Centre team for the first in a series of five heritage training sessions. The tutors are all highly skilled and experienced but wanted to brush up on their heritage construction skills in preparation for the changes in the curriculum.

From September 2021 all new Construction and Built Environment students will be taught about the importance of historic buildings in Wales. They will learn about how their care and repair differs from modern construction methods. 

Topics in this series of CPD training include:

  • Conserving old buildings in Wales: the Rationale
  • The Mechanics of Old Buildings
  • Materials and methods for traditional buildings
  • Sustainability: the bigger perspective and construction sector implications
  • Energy efficiency and retrofit: the construction details

The courses are half day sessions delivered on-line. The Tywi Centre are also developing resources for the Tutors to use with their learners. If you would like to find out more about the Tywi Centre and their Train the Trainer courses, find out more on the dedicated webpage.

Short films to support heritage construction training

A series of short films have been produced by the Welsh Traditional Buildings Forum to support training providers with their delivery. Click on the links above to view the films.

The short films include:

Climate change and building restoration- what is the link?

There are many reasons for caring appropriately for our old buildings. These include cultural reasons as old buildings hold links to the people that once lived or worked there. They are the source of local character and a sense of place. They have economic value as they attract tourists and offer character and warmth to business premises. 

Early research also shows that appropriate reuse and upgrading of our stock of old buildings can make substantial carbon savings. Find out more on the dedicated webpage.

Specialist Heritage Training in Wales

Please use the links below to help you source the Heritage Construction Training and advice that you need.

The Welsh National Roofing Training Group is a non-profit organisation, funded by a grant from CITB.  It is in place for the purpose of supporting, organising and co-ordinating roof training at all levels for its members. This includes accredited heritage roofing training. 

The Tywi Centre is a CITB Accredited Training Organisation. It delivers a range of heritage construction courses. For details of their practical lime plastering, masonry and carpentry courses, find out more on the dedicated document.

Historic England Website offers huge bank of training resources from general heritage management, technical buildings conservation and climate and heritage series. You can also explore in-depth e-learning modules or learn about project management for heritage.

Building Services Engineering

For anyone who is involved in the installation of building services in Traditional Buildings, a wealth of advice and guidance is available on the Historic England website.

The Historic England website has a section dedicated to building services engineering.

Here you can find advice on condition surveys and investigations which are the first steps when replacing or installing new building services or planning a maintenance programme. There’s an introduction to the core principles when installing new building services together with advice on good maintenance of building services systems  in historic buildings.

You can also access a series of webinars delivered and recorded by Historic England on the theme of Building Services. These include:

We hope that you enjoy this newsletter, please get in touch to let us know what other themes you would like to see included in this quarterly industry update by emailing: charlie.evans@cityandguilds.com.