Apprenticeship by Royal Appointment

Otley student Martin O Hara is on a mission to help preserve our heritage buildings by royal appointment.

The Suffolk student received one of eleven places on a prestigious Prince of Wales Building Craft Apprenticeship programme that has just commenced.

This specific initiative was launched by the Prince in 2006 to combat the growing skills shortage in traditional building crafts such as wood, stone, plaster and brickwork, with the overall aim of helping to preserve traditional English architecture.

This programme helps enable young craftspeople to learn skills such as stone masonry, decorative bricklaying, carpentry, plasterwork and leadwork skills.

As well as leaning a host of new skills on the programme, Martin will also get the chance to develop his craftsmanship skills by working alongside some of the UK’s leading master craftspeople.

His lecturer, Denis Hobin �" who supported him through his level 2 and 3 training at Otley College for the past two years and his interview process - said, “Martin has proved to be an outstanding student demonstrating great skills winning the Suffolk Show brickwork competition and construction knowledge to complete his level 3 NVQ. I am sure he will do the Otley College proud on this programme.”

“The initiative is really valuable in that it helps craftspeople build their basic qualifications and puts them on the road to becoming a master craftsperson.”

Martin (19), from Alderton, (eight miles from Woodbridge), added, “I would like to thank the college and my lecturers for giving me an excellent grounding in a variety of skills.”

“I am delighted to have been accepted on this Apprenticeship. The experiences that I will learn will really set me up for my future career and I cannot wait to get started.”

Students will build on their existing knowledge with courses, a summer school, work experience with master craftsmen and coaching in business.

Otley has an Apprenticeship Open day at the college on Saturday 5 September 2009 (9am to 1pm). For more details you can phone Verity on 01473 784177 or email verity.rosher@otleycollege.ac.uk