After one term of The ABC Assessment Centre’s Bricklayer Training Program in colleges, Centre Manager Simon Livett took a trip over to The Bedford College Group to see how it was all going and how full-time students have been benefitting from courses in modern masonry techniques.
After a very warm welcome and a catch-up with the enthusiastic diploma students, it was time to put the custom-made training frames through their paces and explore the possibilities available for simulating a real-life site environment for this next generation of bricklayers.
Among such possibilities include the ability to install ACS Stainless Steel masonry support angle systems and brick soffits to manufacturer’s specifications, as The ABC Assessment Centre’s Ian Mitchell demonstrated:
Bricklayer Training for Brick Soffit Systems using Azure II by ACS Stainless Steel
Students also get the unique opportunity to fit ARC cavity fire barriers (see below), windposts, brick slip facade systems, damp proof courses and cavity tray systems under the expert tutelage of bricklayers with decades of site experience like Ian.
Bricklayer Training for Installing Fire Barriers & Breaks using ARC Cavity Stop Sock
The ABC Assessment Centre is the first training provider to offer CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) approved accreditation in relation to ancillary bricklaying processes through its Short Courses, while students will receive certification providing visible proof of their new-found expertise in these modern skills.
Simon Livett, Centre Manager at the ABC Assessment Centre, said: “The training programme is our response to industry demand for more, better-skilled operatives in the brickwork sector. Over the years, manufacturers have developed many fantastic aids for bricklayers, particularly in the commercial building sector with regards to the creation of brick-slip façade cladding systems and the like.”
“But there’s a growing feeling that onsite, the level of workmanship has not necessarily kept pace with the evolution of new products and bricklaying techniques. Therefore, in conjunction with the ABC membership, we’ve devised a comprehensive suite of training courses delivered by experts in a range of modern brickwork installations, as well as covering a variety of core competencies.”
Back L-R: Simon Livett (ABCAC Centre Manager), Ian Mitchell (ABCAC Brickwork Trainer), David Wilkins (BCG Director of Construction & Building Services) / Front: BCG Brickwork Diploma students
David Wilkins, Director of Construction and Building Services at The Bedford College Group, said: “This is a great partnership between the ABC (Association of Brickwork Contractors) and the Group, to deliver a programme of modules to full-time student bricklayers to demonstrate various modern techniques. This is being undertaken in several colleges across the UK and we are delighted to part of that pioneering activity.”
The Bedford College Group is involved with multiple employer, training and government advisory groups which combine to identify the skills which are necessary to support the UK construction industry in coming decades. Sixteen to 60-year-olds receive training in the most relevant techniques to ensure they can meet the demands of the modern and fast changing industry.
