Provost meets apprentices on Town House project
The Provost of Inverness, Cllr Helen Carmichael has today (Thursday 6 Sep 2016) met with 4 of the 6 apprentices working with specialist contractors Laing Traditional Masonry on the historic listed Inverness Town House building.
Laing Traditional Masonry, contractors for The Highland Council have undertaken extensive works at Inverness Town House and are now carrying out the second phase of external refurbishment works. Chris Brown, Iain Martin, Liam Scott and Michael Gray have been given the opportunity by LTM to work on the site in order to achieve their qualification.
The apprentices are learning on-the-job training and skills as roofs are overhauled, new rainwater goods installed, lead work replaced and stained glass windows refurbished. There has been on average 2 stonemason apprentices, 2 slating apprentices, and 3 building conservation technician apprentices with 2 of the apprentices completing their vocational qualification in construction management during their time on site.
LTM Academy is a division of LTM Group which is dedicated to the training and development of apprentices in order to create skilled, professional craftsman. They deliver the BCT Modern Apprenticeship which is designed to allow young people to be mentored by existing craftsmen as they have been for thousands of years.
The qualification takes 3 years to complete, and is made up to two parts – the NPA and the VQ. The NPA trains apprentices in masonry and specialist craft skills and the following VQ covers professional and managerial skills. The academy has been running successfully for over 6 years now and they are celebrating the success of the second cohort of apprentices graduating and becoming skilled craftsmen within the company.
Provost of Inverness and Area, Cllr Helen Carmichael was impressed with the progress and skills that the apprentices had learned while working on the Town House project, she said:
“I am very pleased that the apprentices are learning skills of the past to take with them into projects for the future while working on our historic Town House building in Inverness. City Members fully support the Inverness Common Good Fund’s restoration of the Town House and are particularly delighted that it is also creating skilled craftsmen of tomorrow who will in turn keep these specialist skills alive for generations to come.”
Steven Laing - Managing Director, LTM Group said:
“Where our Modern Apprenticeship scheme is different is that our craftsmen are trained to carry out assessments to SVQ Level 3 and the apprentices follow a structured workplace training program delivered over a three year period.
“This unique program allows our apprentices to gain qualifications normally only completed in a simulated college environment, and ensure they are capable of applying their vocational skills in the real world workplace.
“To gain work experience on a property like Inverness Town House is a fantastic experience for the apprentices and hopefully a once in a life-time-chance as the renovations will be fit for future generations to view.”