{"id":20518,"date":"2018-10-20T16:05:47","date_gmt":"2018-10-20T15:05:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ihbconline.co.uk\/newsachive\/?p=20518"},"modified":"2018-10-19T18:18:15","modified_gmt":"2018-10-19T17:18:15","slug":"citb-scotlands-iconic-buildings-set-to-benefit-from-sought-after-stonemasonry-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=20518","title":{"rendered":"CITB: Scotland\u2019s iconic buildings set to benefit from sought-after stonemasonry skills"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"website\"<\/a>A new Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) partnership has been launched in Edinburgh to help meet the demand for stonemasonry skills to protect and preserve Scotland\u2019s iconic buildings.<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

CITB writes:<\/p>\n

The St Mary\u2019s Cathedral Workshop Stonemasonry Apprenticeship Scheme \u2013 which will run as a partnership between CITB and St Mary\u2019s Cathedral Workshop \u2013 was visited today by Gordon Lindhurst MSP.<\/p>\n

Five stonemasonry apprentices will be among the first to benefit from this CITB support. They include Ben Taylor, 17, from East Whitburn, Liam McKenzie, 17, from East Lothian, and from Edinburgh \u2013 Jack Jeffrey, 18, Ben Nicolson, 18, Lawrence Schofield, 22.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stonemasonry apprentice, Ben Nicolson, said: \u2018Starting an apprenticeship in stonemasonry is a great opportunity for me to learn new skills and earn a wage as I do so. I\u2019m really excited about it as stonemasonry skills have become pretty rare in Scotland.<\/p>\n

\u2018I get to work on some stunning stone projects and I work with lots of enthusiastic, knowledgeable people. This apprenticeship will help me to build a secure career for the future – where no two days are the same.\u2019<\/p>\n

St Mary\u2019s Cathedral Workshop has trained generations of apprentices while continuing its work to restore the stone fabric of St Mary\u2019s Episcopal Cathedral. Apprentices attend Edinburgh College during their four-year training, after which they gain an SVQ in Stonemasonry.<\/p>\n

Gordon Lindhurst MSP, said: \u2018\u2018I am glad to support the apprenticeship scheme at St Mary\u2019s Cathedral where traditional methods of stonemasonry are taught.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018St Mary\u2019s has a proud tradition of carving out the stonemasons of the future. These skills are urgently required across Scotland and particularly in Edinburgh where the skills will contribute to the maintenance of buildings that are fundamental to Edinburgh\u2019s World Heritage Site.<\/p>\n

\u2018I am pleased that CITB is able to support this apprenticeship scheme and I hope this investment in skills can continue so that we can maintain our proud built heritage.\u2019<\/p>\n

Sarah Grotrian, Chair of St Mary\u2019s Cathedral Workshop, said: \u2018Our workshop has turned out more than 50 master masons over the last 30 years. With only 400 stonemasons in all of Scotland, this is a significant contribution to the workforce.<\/p>\n

\u2018Now that the restoration of the Cathedral is nearly complete, we recognise the need to modify our method of training to secure the future of both the workshop and the apprentices. Hand carving and fully rounded stonemasonry training are traditional skills in increasing demand but in short supply.<\/p>\n

\u2018We\u2019re delighted to be able to work with CITB to train the stonemasons of the future and make sure those crucial skills aren\u2019t lost.\u2019<\/p>\n

The scheme\u2019s new training model allows apprentices to attend work placements within a network of contractors across Edinburgh. They gain a broad experience in the workplace, co-ordinated and managed by the workshop in close co-operation with the City of Edinburgh Council, the University of Edinburgh, and other partners.\u00a0 Apprentices continue repairs and maintenance to the Cathedral undertaken as part of their training.<\/p>\n

Some important restoration projects the apprentices have worked on include New College, Old Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Calton Hill, Jacob\u2019s Ladder, Newhailes and Forresthill Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

Gillian Cain, Head of CITB Apprenticeships, said: \u2018As a globally-renowned World Heritage site, Edinburgh is home to some of the most beautiful stone buildings in the world. It needs a skilled, well trained workforce of stonemasons to maintain and carry forward these buildings well into the future.<\/p>\n

\u2018As the largest provider of Modern Apprenticeships in Scotland, CITB is proud to support St Mary\u2019s Cathedral Workshop and its fantastic stonemasonry apprenticeship scheme. Stonemasonry is a highly prized skill, offering an exciting and rewarding career.\u2019<\/p>\n

Read more….<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) partnership has been launched in Edinburgh to help meet the demand for stonemasonry skills to protect and preserve Scotland\u2019s iconic buildings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sector-newsblog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20518"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20518\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20520,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20518\/revisions\/20520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}