The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Construction Skills and Training, Arts and Heritage and Roofing has met to discuss heritage craft skills and training.

The meeting followed research by the National Heritage Training Group (NHTG) into skills shortages in the built heritage sector in Scotland – and forthcoming similar research in Wales – and focused on the challenges faced in England, Scotland and Wales to reverse the decline in traditional building craft skills.

ConstructionSkills’ heritage & conservation manager, Seamus Hanna, said: “In order to conserve our historic buildings, it is imperative to preserve our craftspeople’s historic skills.

“As the Sector Skills Council for the industry, we’re currently working with Historic Scotland, the NHTG, and a number of others within the sector, to ensure that we have the right skills, in the right place, at the right time to maintain these significant buildings. We are committed to ensuring that these skills, and more specialist trades, don’t die out.”

Photograph: (l-r) Nick Raynsford MP, Vice Chairman, All Party Parliamentary Group for Construction Skills and Training; Gerald Emerton, National Federation of Roofing Contractors; Gary Butcher, Managing Director, Angel Interiors; Sir Patrick Cormack MP, Chairman, All-Party Arts and Heritage Group; Sir Michael Latham, Chairman, ConstructionSkills