CITB NI has been shortlisted from over 600 organisations to reach the public voting stage in this year's National Lottery Awards.

CITB NI's Heritage Upskilling Apprenticeship Programme is the only nomination from Northern Ireland in the Best Education Project category and the organisation wants support from stakeholder organisations and the public to help them win the category.

Research completed by CITB NI has shown there is a skills shortage in trades such as stonemasons, heritage carpenters, joiners, painters, blacksmiths and lime plasterers and that training provision was virtually non-existent. CITB NI took action and for the past seven years has been addressing the issues including utilising almost £900,000 of Heritage Lottery Funding to help provide training for people to develop traditional building skills in Northern Ireland.

The training allowed trainees to take advantage of placements at prestigious venues including Mount Stewart House in Newtownards, Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, Enniskillen Castle, Springhill House and Lisburn Presbyterian Church. All who participated in the Heritage Upskilling Apprenticeship Programme already had experience and a NVQ Level 2 qualification or equivalent in their chosen occupation. The upskilling training allowed them to gain a NVQ Level 3 Diploma in Heritage Skills (Construction), which helps reduce the sectors skills gap. Some of the trainees also went on to gain full-time employment with their placement providers.

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As part of the programme a team of Heritage Ambassadors were recruited to raise the profile of the built heritage sector in Northern Ireland and support the trainees throughout their training.

CITB NI also wanted to address the lack of training provision so it provided a Continuous Professional Development training programme for lecturers from three of the local colleges who are now able to offer the Level 3 Award in Understanding Repair & Maintenance of Traditional (Pre-1919) Buildings.

Barry Neilson, Chief Executive CITB NI said: "We are extremely proud of our work to help develop traditional building skills within our local built heritage sector and I am delighted CITB NI's Heritage Upskilling Apprenticeship Programme has been short listed for a National Lottery Award. National Lottery funding has significantly helped in providing upskilling training for people to develop traditional building skills and to address the supply of Heritage training in Northern Ireland in what is a very specialist area. I would like to acknowledge the Heritage Lottery Fund, those who trained on placement, the placement providers, lecturers and ambassadors/mentors who have given the projects their full support and have developed traditional building skills not only for themselves but for the good of the heritage sector. It would be a tremendous accolade for this unique project to be recognised with a National Lottery Award and I would appeal for people to show their support for the work by voting."

Voting is now open, please click here to vote for us now or call 0844 836 9688.