What are Trainees who have benefited from a bursary placement doing now?

Click the links below to view details of past trainees:

• Painting and Decorating placement with St. Fagans National Museum Wales
• Painting and Decorating placement with St. Fagans National Museum Wales
• Blacksmithing placement with Chris Topp Ltd
• Carpentry placement with Works Department, Lincoln Cathedral
• Thatching placement with Stephen Letch
• Joinery placement with Shaun Allen woodworking
• Stone conservation with Carrek Ltd
• Stone conservation with Carrek Ltd
• Stone conservation with Carrek Ltd
• Lime plastering and pargetting placement with W.I. Sargent
• Lime plastering and pargetting placement with W.I. Sargent
• Stone masonry placement with Historic Property Restoration Ltd
• Brickwork placement with Mathias Restoration Ltd
• Stonemasonry placement with the Masonry team at Hardwick Hall
• Stone carving placement with York Minster Works Department
• Thatching placement with S.M. Thatchers
• Letter carving placement with A.J. Jones Ltd
• Blacksmith placement with Adrian Wood Artist Blacksmith
• Stone masonry placement with The National Trust Masonry Team at Hardwick Hall

Painting and Decorating placement with St. Fagans National Museum Wales

Marc Hare is a self-employed painter and decorator and continues to work in this field. After his 6 month placement with St. Fagan’s National Museum, Wales, he now has some experience that allows him to offer a broader range of techniques, particularly those for historic buildings. He is registered for his NVQ level 3 Heritage Skills in Painting and Decorating with Ann Cook Associates.

Painting and Decorating placement with St. Fagans National Museum Wales

Mathew Evans excelled at college and was awarded the Dulux Apprentice of the Year 2008. He has succeeded in gaining 2 placements – the first with Devereux Decorators and the second at St. Fagan’s Museum. A total of 9 months bursary will help him towards gaining his NVW Level 3 Heritage Skills in Painting and Decorating.

 

Blacksmithing placement with Chris Topp Ltd

Neal Armstrong worked as a computer engineer for most of his working life, but had always maintained an interest in blacksmithing. He is realising his ambition by developing his skills with Chris Topp Ltd with a 18 month placement, afterwhich he is enroled on the blacksmithing course at Herefordshire College, while continuing to work for Chris Topp Ltd.

 

Carpentry placement with Works Department, Lincoln Cathedral

Jamie Arnold had gained his NVQ level 2 in site carpentry and was working as a self-employed carpenter in Lincolnshire. He has completed his NVQ level 3 Heritage Skills through his 12 month placmeent at Lincoln Cathedral Works Department. He is the first person in the East Midlands region to do this.

 

Thatching placement with Stephen Letch

Boz Willows had already achieved his blacksmithing from Herefordshire College and had a fair amount of experience in harvesting straw and spar making. He built on these skills whilst learning with thatcher Stephen Letch. He is hoping to register for his NVQ level 3 Heritage Skills via the On Site Assessment and Training (OSAT) route. He is continuing to work with Stephen.

 

Joinery placement with Shaun Allen woodworking

Nigel Smith had worked as a panel beater and body repair technician for over 25 years. In his spare time he enjoys restoring vintage cars and motorbikes. His dexterity, care and eye for detail are transferable skills that have led him to expand his knowledge into joinery. Working closely with Shaun Allen, Nigel has gained valuable experience working on a range of private and National Trust historic buildings. He is now self-epmployed and working on his own contracts.

Stone conservation with Carrek Ltd

Henry Skinner has already gained his Intermediate and Advance Construction Awards in stone masonry and is currently studying for his Foundation Science Degree in Applied Architectural Stonework and Conservation at Bournemouth University. He hopes to use his academic studies and practical skills to provide an informed background to train as an Historic Building Surveyor.

 

Stone conservation with Carrek Ltd

Lizzie Bryant studied at Weymouth College and Bournemouth University and has continued to develop her professional and technical skills through a variety of experiences and courses, including project management, lime and letter carving.

 

 

Stone masonry with Carrek Ltd

Peter Parnell has worked in the construction industry for 30 years. His interest in stone carving led him to attend some of the courses at the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust, but he wanted to develop his technical skills further. Peter intends to use this placement to complement the Open University course he is currently enrolled in to work within the built heritage sector.

Lime plastering and pargetting placement with W.I. Sargent

Richard Childs is currently studying for his Intermediate Construction Award in solid plastering at Highbury College, Portsmouth. Working alongside Bill Sargent will give him the practical experience and skills to help him gain his NVQ Level 2 and the practical skills to work on historic buildings. He intends to go on to study and gain his Advanced Construction Award in plastering.

 

Lime plastering and pargetting placement with W.I. Sargent

Henry Orton had gained a Fine Arts degree and had some experience of working in the heritage industry before undertaking a 3 month placement with Bill Sargent. Here Henry was able to build on his knowledge of lime and use his artistic skills to practice the craft of pargetting.

 

Stone masonry placement with Historic Property Restoration Ltd

Ian McMaster had previously worked with a sculptor, gained an art degree and had been running his own building company. A combination of these skills and experiences led Ian to successfully gain a 12 month placement with Historic Property Restoration Ltd. Ian is mainly site based, gaining a wide range of skills, following activities based on the NVQ Level 3 Heritage Skills in stone masonry. Ian is now employed full time with Historic Property Restoration, working toward gaining his NVQ Level 2 in Stonemasonry.

Brickwork placement with Mathias Restoration Ltd

Gareth Daws has gained his Advanced Construction Award in Brickwork from South Kent Technical College, which he carried out part-time. He has been working part-time for the local authority and has undertaken the 1 month training placement with Mathias Restoration on a part-time basis. Gareth has gained experience of rubbed and gauged brickwork, as well as estimating small projects  that have given him the experience to undertake some of his own freelance contracts. He has also attended the 3 day gauged brickwork course with Dr Gerard Lynch at the Weald and Downland Museum.

Stonemasonry placement with the Masonry team at Hardwick Hall

Wendy Martin has been studying carving at The City and Guilds. Her month long placement with The National Trust Masonry Team at Hardwick Hall has given her valuable insight into a building conservation project. She has also spent much of this time practicing her banker masonry skills.

 

Stone carving placement with York Minster Works Department

Mathew Hodgkinson trained and works as a mason and joiner with Linfords Ltd before taking up a 6 month carving placement with the carving team at York Minster. Under the guidance of their experienced carvers, Mathew has carried out numerous carvings and has undertaken a short course to improve his letter cutting. Mathew is now a full time carver in the Carver's Workshop there.

 

Thatching placement with S.M. Thatchers

Harry Raffle has some experience of thatching, but had not gained any qualifications. Training on a 6 month placement with Sean Eccles and his team of thatchers, Harry has developed a range of skills that will help him work towards his NVQ Level 3 Heritage Skills in thatching. Harry is now working as a sub-contractor thatcher and continues to develop his skills.

 

Letter carving placement with A.J. Jones Ltd

Iestyn Griffiths had been working in a family business, undertaking letter carving. Iestyn wanted to formalise his training and has successfully gained a 6 month placement at A.F. Jones Ltd, where he is able to focus on developing his skills on a variety of stone types, as well as undertaking formal short courses in calligraphy. Iestyn is continuing to work for A.F.Jones and intends to use his previous brickwork skills and letter carving skills within the built heritage sector.

Blacksmith placement with Adrian Wood Artist Blacksmith

Lee Knibbs has a background of working in metalwork, but has made the opportunity to focus his passion for blacksmithing by training and working alongside Adrian Wood for 6 months. Lee is now working full time with Adrian and continues to develop his blacksmithing skills.

 

Stone masonry placement with The National Trust Masonry Team at Hardwick Hall

David Tanner has worked for Cadw for 18 years. He has continued to develop his skills by undertaking several training opportunities. In 2005 he undertook a Prince's Foundation Scholarship. He is currently registered for his NVQ Level 3 Heritage Skills in Stone masonry and the 1 month placement with The National Trust will allow him to gain the work based evidence to gain this qualification. David continues to work as a conservator mason with Cadw in Wales.

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