Marble Arch Support New Nationwide Training Group

In a bid to raise the standard of training within the natural stone industry, the Stone Federation Great Britain and the Construction Industry Training Board launch Natural Stone Training Group.

Founding member, Simon Hewitt, operations and training manager at London-based Marble Arch, a major supplier, manufacturer and installer of natural stone, is supporting the group's aims by seeking other professionals within the industry to support the new initiative.

Managed by the Stone Federation Great Britain and funded by the CITB, the Natural Stone Industry Training Group establishes qualification and educational requirements, proposes assessment criteria, and recommends standards for training; throughout the stone industry.

"The group's vision is to provide coordinated training across the industry, which best fills the needs of our related professions, and to ensure that those needs are continually assessed and evaluated in line with CITB requirements," said Jane Buxley, director of the Stone Federation Great Britain.

"Marble Arch was invited to become a member of the group due their expertise, especially in the marble industry, and their interest in training.

With Hewitt's help, the group is currently concentrating on raising the quality of training in a range of occupation groups including stone flooring, fa‡ade cleaning and repair, fixer mason, mason's mate, drawing and design.

It is planned that pilot projects for these occupational groups will be underway by the end of 2004.

Hewitt commented: "I am delighted to be working along side the CITB and Stone Federation of Great Britain in founding the Natural Stone Industry Training Group.

The success of the new training group, however, will depend largely on the goodwill of professionals within the industry and, as such, we are looking for stone experts from around the UK to lend their expertise and help get these pilot schemes off the ground.

Derbyshire-based Realstone has already volunteered to help set up the drawing-and-design pilot project, and two other members of the group have offered to assist in putting together a training schedule.

"The CITB is eager to align itself with companies who are keen to improve training and increase the quality of skills in the industry.

To do this we need experts like Marble Arch who are recognised within the industry as taking great pride in the high quality of their work, and are also willing to share that expertise," said Stuart Littlefair, specialist manager within CITB-Construction Skills National Specialists.

"A knock-on effect of initiatives such as the Natural Stone Training Group is that, by raising the profile of the industry, we will encourage more youngsters to enter into the trade," added Littlefair.

Professionals who feel they can contribute towards raising the standards in training new recruits in the natural stone industry should contact the Stone Federation Great Britain at enquiries@stonefederationgb.org.uk or telephone 01303 856123.

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