Do you work in construction? Or maybe you want to receive free training in traditional building skills?
Are you a contractor looking to boost the skills of your workforce in Wrexham?
Thanks to a partnership with a number of providers and funders – including Coleg Cambria – we’ve been able to start a new raft of courses which will help give people the skills they need to work in the heritage building sector and upskilling of the construction industry in traditional building skills.
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Training workshops will start at Coleg Cambria’s Bersham Road site this week, with each day focusing on different courses.
- Tuesday, April 17 – HNC Students
- Wednesday, April 18 – Year 1 and 2 Plastering Students
- Thursday – Year 1 and 2 Bricklaying Students
Each of the training days will run from 9am until 4pm.
Training will form part of town centre heritage plans
You might remember news from last year that we put together an application for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), with the aim of kick-starting the regeneration of buildings in the Conservation Area in Wrexham Town Centre.
But rather than refitting old buildings using modern techniques, given that the buildings involved are covered by a Conservation Area – and are very prominent heritage assets in our town – we want to make sure that the methods used to regenerate those buildings are in line with the traditional skills that helped build them in the first place.
If the application for funding is successful, this push for traditional building skills would form a key part of that regeneration project, giving people sites to work on their newly-acquired trade skills while also bringing new life into some buildings in the conservation area.
The aim of the overall project is to provide education, training and upskilling to people in Wrexham to secure work in heritage construction – and these courses would form part of that.
“Win-win for Wrexham”
Cllr Terry Evans, Lead Member for Economic Performance and Regeneration, said: “This will prove an excellent scheme for young people looking to acquire new skills – skills which will give them an edge in a very competitive sector.
“And, should our application for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for town centre regeneration within the Conservation Area be successful, work undertaken on these courses would slot right in as part of that work – it really would be win-win for everyone involved.
“I’d advise any construction trades, students and apprentices – or even those already in the trade looking to add to their expertise – to come along and see what these courses could offer them.”
Ceri Rush Jones, CITB Local Manager for North & Mid Wales, said: “I have witnessed the hard work and passion that has gone into to create a strong partnership which has worked together to create an opportunity for local students to obtain relevant skills in heritage construction.
“This eventually will help maintain and repair buildings in Wrexham’s conservation area. In addition local construction companies are also invited to upskill their existing workforce to ensure local people can work within their own community. I applaud the hard work and dedication from all involved, and look forward to attending one of the sessions myself.”
A spokesperson for Coleg Cambria said: “Coleg Cambria is proud to support the traditional skills programme for Wrexham. The College has an excellent reputation for developing a wide range of construction and engineering courses.
“The opportunity to enhance these programmes with further traditional and historical skills is fully welcomed and supported. We have excellent links with our employer base and I am sure they will also appreciate the opportunities to upskill their workforce, enabling them to tender for work within the Wrexham regeneration projects.”
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