Llandeilo’s Tywi Centre has become a centre of excellence for heritage carpentry and plastering.

Construction professionals across Wales and the UK will be given unique opportunities to specialise their skills and gain qualifications in the built heritage trades at the centre, which is part of Carmarthenshire County Council.

The Centre has won a contract to deliver the Specialist Applied-Skills Programme (SAP) on behalf of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).

The SAP provides skills training and qualifications up to NVQ level 3, as well as CSCS Heritage Gold Card status.

For the next three years there will be fully funded programmes for up to eight carpenters in Wales and up to 18 plasterers in the UK per year.

CITB has funded the programme to address the shortage of people with the desired skills, knowledge and experience of working appropriately on older buildings.

The funding will cover the entire cost of the training and assessment to CITB registered companies. A course attendance and completion grant is also available to the employer.

The first round of training will begin in June 2018.

The course involves a total of 20 days off-site training. Each candidate will have 18 months to complete their on-site assessment and evidence gathering.

Cllr Mair Stephens, Carmarthenshire County Council’s executive board member for planning and built heritage, said: “This is an excellent opportunity for employers to up-skill their workforce and to improve their potential for securing contracts available on older buildings.”

To take advantage of this opportunity and to secure one of the limited places on the programme, contact the Tywi Centre at canolfantywicentre@sirgar.gov.uk, call 01558 824271 or visit tywicentre.org.uk