12 students from Lincoln College took part in the Heritage Skills Day organised by Robert Woodhead Ltd in partnership with Lincoln College.
The Day took place on 22 June 2012 at the Heritage Skills Centre, within the grounds of Lincoln Castle and included a tour of the Heritage Skills Centre and castle walls, as well as various seminars and workshops presented by Robert Woodhead Ltd and Arrol & Snell.
Rob Green from Arrol & Snell presented a seminar covering the architecture of the building, how it was designed and a brief history of the site for student who might want to progress into architecture.
Michael Broadhurst of Robert Woodhead’s covered topics relevant to employment in the construction industry including placements and university. As a placement student with Robert Woodhead’s, Michael was able to talk candidly about his current role and his involvement in BREEAM and Code for Sustainability projects.
Michael commented, “I really enjoyed the day. It went very well and I would love the opportunity to be involved in another skills day in the future, either at the College or the Heritage Skills Centre.”
Additional specialists were brought in to undertake hands on workshops; Delta for green roofing, Martin Brooks Roofing for a lead work workshop and Shakespeare Stonemasonry.
“A number of the students commented on how the professional lead workers, plasterers and stone masons were and that they made the tasks look quite easy. It wasn’t until they tried it for themselves that they realised the level of skill required. It was a pleasure to see the students engrossed in the activities, and to receive their various questions throughout the day. The fact that Robert Woodhead is simultaneously running a heritage site alongside a sustainable new build, allowed the students to see, first hand, the complexities involved in different building projects,” stated Jane Harrison, part of Robert Woodhead’s Heritage team.
The students found the day extremely valuable; they took part in practical activities and saw the work that was being undertaken on the castle wall. One of the students won a two week work placement at Robert Woodhead Ltd for being the best student.
Kevin Davey, Construction Lecturer commented, “Students were put into a real work situation and were able to get a feel for real life experiences. Aspects like Health and Safety had to be considered which also supported their studies.”
A film of the Heritage Skills Day is available for viewing on the Robert Woodhead Ltd YouTube Channel at “Heritage Skills Centre Lincoln - Traditional and sustainable skills revealed to Lincoln College students”.
Glenn Slater, Business Development Director at Robert Woodhead Ltd comments, “We will certainly be looking to run further Heritage Skills Days after the success of this one. We hope to run further events with Lincoln College for new college students as well as revisits for students to see the finished projects.”
Further information on Heritage Skills Weekends will be provided in due course.
For details on the Heritage Skills Centre project at Lincoln Castle, please visit our YouTube Channel where there are two films; “Heritage Skills Centre Lincoln Castle - Revealed” and “Heritage Skills Centre Lincoln Castle Part 1 – The Great Concrete Pour“.