Modern Apprentices from Forth Valley College and trainees from Historic Environment Scotland (HES) and Rooftec Scotland demonstrated their talents at a traditional skills event in Stirling recently.
The Traditional Building Forum Demonstration Workshop - organised by the Stirling City Heritage Trust - was held in Port Street (outside the Thistle Centre) on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 October, allowed painting and decorating, joinery, slating and stonemasonry trainees to show off their skills to potential new students and interested passers-by.
Secondary School pupils, members of the public were encouraged to meet the apprentices, admire the mastery of their craft, discover the skills that are so important in maintaining the historic environment, or get some advice from experts in building conservation.
The event was open to all and included an information and exhibition tent featuring career information about training and jobs in traditional trades and advice about caring for traditional buildings from CITB, Forth Valley College, Forth Valley Developing Young Workforce, Stirling City Heritage Trust, Traditional Building Health Check Scheme and Historic Environment Scotland.
Information was also provided for home owners regarding their rights and responsibilities in repairing and maintaining their own homes and also working together with other owners with whom they share a common interest to repair and maintain the common parts of their buildings.
St Modan’s Technical Teacher, Robert Raphael, brought a group of his third year pupils down to the event on Friday 6 October, said: “Events such as this are definitely worthwhile. We are having a big push on vocational skills just now and it is really opening the pupils’ eyes to careers they have not thought about before. I think they have really enjoyed themselves today.”
St Modan’s pupils Kian Liddell (13) and Max Ryan (14) brushed up on their painting and decorating skills with help from FVC Modern Apprentices Lewis Thomson (19) (West Lothian Council) and Josh Carrol (Marshall Construction).
Fellow St Modan’s pupils Nina Ksiaszczyk (13) and Alexis Freck (13) were shown how to get into the groove of stonemasonry by Danny Garrity and Outreach Officer and Stonemason from Historic Environment Scotland.
And FVC Painting and Decorating lecturer Kevin Bonner was happy to show visiting Mod-Scotland and Fife MSP Dean Lockhart how to do it.
