Scottish Traditional Building Skills Audit Scoping ... - Historic Scotland

REPORT
FINDINGS
BRICKWORK
While only 25% of the wish-list skills were found to be included in the Bricklaying/
Brickwork SVQ levels 2 and 3, by comparison, 60% were included in the Brickwork
TAPs. A further 25% was covered by Advanced Craft brickwork, although there is
some cross-over in the wish-list skills found in each course.
While these figures are encouraging, some important wish-list skills are not covered
by any current training provision. For example, the missing skills include methods
of cleaning bricks. This could be considered a serious omission as the use of overly
aggressive methods of cleaning, such as grit blasting or pressure washing, can
remove the surface skin of bricks and lead to accelerated corrosion. The making
and use of lime mortars is also not covered; the use of hard cement mortars to
point brickwork can also lead to accelerated corrosion and decay.
However, in many cases it has been difficult to confirm with any certainty that
skills are not covered, as NOS and TAPS content does include “repair” and
“maintenance” – these terms could be taken to incorporate a variety of skills. And
while efflorescence is covered specifically in the TAPs, it has not been possible to
determine whether other conservation, repair and maintenance issues are also
covered by the TAPs.
Scottish Traditional Building Skills Audit Scoping Exercise
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