The Scottish Government offered the Scottish Traditional Skills Training Centre a Sustainable Action Grant of £30,000 in 2006-07, £20,000 in 2007-08 and £20,000 in 2008-09 to deliver training in conservation skills for the regeneration and sustainability of the built and natural environment. This project, with the training based at Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire, with national outreach, was a new initiative.
While various initiatives provide guidance on built environment sustainability aimed at architects, this project aimed to deliver training for those directly implementing construction techniques - relevant to the use of traditional skills and materials, including drystone walling, the use of lime mortar in building conservation, and roof work, as well as other skills such as woodland conservation. Conclusions from the National Heritage Training Groups' Analysis of Skills Needs in the Built Heritage Sector in Scotland provided highly useful information relevant to the Centre's business planning, indicating a requirement for the type of training it offered.
In the first year the Centre was formally established as a charitable company limited by guarantee. The Centre's prefabricated classroom was fully equipped, located adjoining the Walled Garden at Fyvie Castle along with a large industrial polytunnel, for delivering land-based skills training in inclement weather, with lock-up storage facilities for tools and equipment.
In addition to regular, ongoing built heritage conservation and land-based skills training, the Centre during the period of grant delivered a broad range of specialist courses to meet the specific needs of individuals and organisations involved in conservation and regeneration projects.
Courses in conservation training and education were provided for local authority planners from throughout Scotland. These courses were well received by those attending. These courses prompted similar training initiatives in England, Wales and France.
There was conservation training for senior officials and staff from Cairngorms and Loch Lomond National Parks - delivered at the Centre's training facilities at Fyvie, as well as at the Highland Folk Museum at Newtonmore on Speyside. These courses were the first of their kind in the UK, and those attending confirmed that the training was extremely useful both in carrying out daily work and as part of continuing professional development - given the high number of listed buildings and historic monuments within the National Parks.
The Centre ran courses in project-managing built heritage conservation and regeneration initiatives - attended by representatives of leading conservation organisations, local authorities and government agencies - as well as those responsible for managing and operating a number of major conservation/ regeneration projects throughout Scotland. These courses, presented by some leading authorities on the topics, proved highly successful and were over-subscribed.
The Centre ran the first training course in the country to assist those responsible for the care and protection of Scotland's historic kirkyards, an important element of our built heritage.
There was a programme of training/ work experience for students from secondary schools from throughout Aberdeenshire, as well as land-based skills training for individuals with special needs.
Specialist lime mortar courses took place for academics, individuals in the construction industry and those involved in built heritage conservation projects throughout the North of Scotland. The Centre planned a training programme for stone masons in Scotland, with a series of 6-week courses delivered at Fyvie, with assistance from a project partner, Banff and Buchan College of Further Education. This was commissioned jointly by Historic Scotland, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Construction Industry Training Board, with the first course delivered in spring/ summer 2008.
The Centre completed work on the building for the William Grant Archive Project (one of the finest industrial heritage archives in the North of Scotland) and developed a series of courses in using the archive material to support conservation and restoration projects. The experience gained in work on the William Grant archive was of great value in structuring the Centre's archive courses.
Planning began for the conservation, restoration and adaptation of the Fyvie Castle steading buildings as the future home and base of operations for the Centre. To gain an accurate understanding of market requirements to ensure that the training provided was capable of meeting the specific needs of students and the wider marketplace served, the Centre arranged an in-depth analysis of the potential market for its training, and put in place a business and action plan to allow review of its activities.
During the final phase of the grant period the Centre began development of a series of two-day courses concerning the effect of Climate Change on the historic environment, working closely with senior officials from Historic Scotland, as well as a range of leading authorities throughout the UK.
The Centre judged that the Sustainable Action Grant made a major contribution to the further development of the Centre, its continuing operation and the delivery of its education and training programme, supporting the Scottish Traditional Skills Training Centre at a critical stage in its development and operation, with the grant-assisted work delivering a significant level of sustainable benefit and advantage to both the local and the wider community. It was confident that it was well placed to meet future opportunities and challenges.
Contact
The Scottish Traditional Skills Training Centre
Fyvie Castle
Fyvie
Turriff
Aberdeenshire. AB53 8JS
Tel: 01888 511347