The Partnership of Bridgend College and Persimmon Homes in Wales Case study

City & Guilds and EAL’s new suite of construction and building services engineering qualifications in Wales have been developed by working closely with leading experts to ensure they offer a simple, clear progression route that equips learners for further study and advancement. At the same time, they help learners gain industry-standard skills and experience, supporting career development and creating future employment opportunities.

The qualifications are being delivered at Bridgend College based in Wales, in collaboration with developer, Persimmon Homes Wales. Students who have completed the Level 2 Foundation in Construction and Building Services Engineering have progressed onto the Level 3 apprenticeship with the developer.

Good for learners, employers and providers

Discussing the reforms, Angharad Lloyd Beynon, Policy, Stakeholder and Partnerships Manager at City & Guilds shared her thoughts on the value of the updated qualifications:

“Together with EAL, we are empowering people with the skills needed to gain opportunities in the construction industry. These new qualifications will allow people to forge a career in construction with clear progression routes.”

The collaboration between Bridgend College and Persimmon Homes started in 2017 with an initial intake of 10 learners and over the years that number has expanded to include carpentry and bricklaying apprenticeships. The Head of Curriculum STEM at Bridgend College Rachel Edmonds-Naish spoke about how the reform can ensure learners get even more from their studies:

“These new qualifications give learners a much broader scope of opportunities than what has gone before covering construction, building services and engineering sector. Instead of just learning their trade, they learn two trades initially, and about the wider context of what it means to be working in the construction sector.”

Carl Davey, Regional Quality Director at Persimmon Homes Wales has seen first-hand how Building and Construction Services Engineering qualifications have helped to home-grow the talented workers their business needs, ensuring a sustainable business model and retaining talent in this pivotal sector.

“We have built a successful relationship with Bridgend College over recent years engaging with students from full time programmes and offering the opportunity to advance into the industry through our apprenticeship programme.”

Betty Lee, an Apprentice Carpenter at Bridgend College added:

“I would recommend the foundation course to others because it’s a good way to get into construction and it’s also a starting block for you if you want to progress. You can go on to do level two, level three, or even go on to do a management course afterwards. I’m thinking about doing the management course, or even starting my own business.”

It’s fair to say that the future of Construction and Building Services Engineering qualifications in Wales is now in the very skilled and ambitious hands of its apprentices, laying not only the foundations for industry-standard construction but also better pathways for their own bright futures.

Skills for Wales newsletter – Spring 2021 issue

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

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:

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.