42 chances to learn to build & repair lock gates!

A new C&RT project aims to keep 200 year old canal heritage skills alive by recruiting 42 trainees to learn the crafts and skills that were used to build the nation’s waterways.

National Waterways Museum traineesThe Canal & River Trust will be recruiting trainees who will learn the crafts of lime mortaring, stonemasonry and carpentry, among other skills that are essential to maintaining and improving the network.  Pay is at the national minimum levels but the programme can include the opportunity to take an NVQ in Waterway Heritage Skills with accommodation provided for the vocational studies for one week each month.

It follows a similar project at the National Waterways Museum last year where 3 trainees were taken on to learn narrow boat repair & restoration skills to help the fight to save the museum’s historic boats from dereliction. (Image right courtesy Waterway Images.)

£607,000 of the overall £811,000 for the scheme comes from the Heritage Lottery Fund – Skills for the Future programme, the Radcliffe Trust is contributing £9,000, the Norton Foundation providing £2,000 with the Trust providing the remaining funds. The project – called Waterway Heritage Skills – will see fourteen trainees recruited each year for three years, with each post lasting 12 months. They will work alongside the Trust’s staff across the country on projects such as the winter stoppage programme that this year saw 141 new lock gates replaced and major work to lock chambers and masonry. Through this work current experts will pass on their unique experience to the next generation of heritage workers.

For more information about the roles, including details about how to apply see the C&RT website.

Nigel Crowe, head of heritage at the Canal & River Trust, said: “Our waterways are home to such a rich variety of the nation’s industrial heritage, engineering marvels that continue to stand up to the rigours of modern day life two centuries after they were built. We’re looking for new recruits to learn the skills that will keep our locks, bridges and other structures in the condition that people rightly expect. This means using traditional materials, like stone and lime mortar, and specialised conservation  techniques, There can’t be too many industries where these age-old skills endure to the present day, so this really is a unique opportunity for someone to take on, and I’d encourage anyone interested to get in touch.”

Report from C&RT.

All materials and images © Canal Junction Ltd. Dalton House, 35 Chester St, Wrexham LL13 8AH. No unauthorised reproduction.

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