Apprentices learn their craft in the Old College

The home of Wales’ first University College is providing a rich learning environment for a new generation of construction professionals.

The Old College is being transformed into a major new cultural and creative centre by the project’s principal contractor, Swansea-based Andrew Scott Ltd, a company with a strong track record in heritage work.

Their portfolio includes the Channel 4 award winning Cardigan Castle, Margam Park, and Dyffryn Gardens in the Vale of Glamorgan.

With around 120 staff working on site at any given time, the Old College project has attracted specialist trades, including slaters, lead workers, stonemasons, lime plasters and heritage carpenters, from across the UK.

Working and learning alongside them are a new generation of heritage construction professionals who are benefiting from the many and varied challenges posed by the grade 1 listed building and the need to combine traditional building techniques with more modern processes and equipment.

They include quantity surveyors, and civil, mechanical and electrical engineers as well as the more traditional heritage trades.

For Shaun Davies, who manages the project for Andrew Scott Ltd, heritage projects like the Old College are keeping traditional building skills alive.

“At Andrew Scott Ltd we take great pride in the success of our apprentices and work closely with colleges and training providers across south Wales and further afield to provide the opportunities they need to further their careers.”

“An apprenticeship on a project like Old College is unusual and an excellent opportunity that will certainly open doors. At college, apprentices will study modern construction techniques that often use modular building systems whilst the Old College gives them an insight into how buildings were being built 150 years ago. Working with seasoned professionals on a project like this, they benefit from the years of experience around them - you can see the trades being passed down from one generation to the next.”

“Apprentices who have combined their heritage skills with more modern building techniques also have an advantage in the workplace. Fully trained, they can turn their hand to working on modern building sites and take on the more craft-based challenges of heritage projects when they come along. And, construction companies in the heritage sector will often go the extra mile to secure the services of the skilled trades they required to undertake a project like the Old College.”

“As well as recognised apprenticeships, the Old College project is providing opportunities for people who have no previous experience of working in construction and we very much hope their experience on the project will inspire them to develop the skills they learn here and build a career in the heritage sector.”

Anyone interested in an apprenticeship with Andrew Scott Ltd in the Aberystwyth area should contact careers@andrewscott.co.uk.

The Old College apprentices

Ellis Evans, 22

Civil Engineering Technical Apprentice, Andrew Scott Ltd

Originally from Neath, Ellis joined Andrew Scott Ltd in August 2021 and started working on the Old College project in October 2023. As a Civil Engineering Technical Apprentice, Ellis is nearing the end of a two year Higher National Certificate qualification at Afan College, Port Talbot, part of the NPCT group, and hopes to progress onto a degree and eventually into project management. A typical week will see him work three days on the Old College, a day in college and a day on another Andrew Scott site.

“An opportunity to work on a grade 1 listed building like this doesn’t come along very often. Initially I worked on new structural openings and floors that were being created, but more recently I have been working on the new atrium, checking line and level as the concrete was poured to make the walls and the new ground floor. This is an excellent environment to learn more about drawings and specifications and to draw on the experience of so many who are working of the project. Civil Engineering involves a lot of computer aided design, but in Old College I often find myself looking up and asking how was it done all those years ago?”

Tomi Williams, 19

Quantity Surveyor Technical Apprentice, Andrew Scott Ltd

Tomi is a Quantity Surveyor Technical Apprentice with Andrew Scott Ltd and is from Lampeter. He joined the Old College project from school in August 2023 through the Cyfle Building Skills Shared Apprentice Scheme and is nearing the end of a two-year BTEC Level 3 in Construction qualification at Neath College, part of the NPCT group, where he is studying one day a week. He hopes to progress onto a four-year degree in Quantity Surveying and Construction Management September and continue to combine work and study.

“An apprenticeship gives me the best of both worlds, experience of working on a real-life project and studying technical aspects in college. At work, it’s often the small stuff that make a difference, the working environment, speaking to contractors and learning from people who have been working in the trade for many years. Just by walking through the Old College, you can see the kind of work we are dealing with, from the heritage stonework to the extensive roofs and the hundreds of windows that are being refurbished or replaced, there is so much to learn and so much variety. I am proud to have played my part in the history of this incredible building. It’s also been a fantastic opportunity to begin my professional career so close to home.”

Kitty Gooch, 27

Window restorer, Gary Davies Historical Carpenter Restoration Wales Ltd.

Kitty joined the Old College project in 2023 as member of the Gary Davies Historical Carpenter Restoration Wales Ltd who are renovating the timber framed windows. With no previous experience of heritage work, she has been learning on the job; taking out windows, stripping paint and removing old glass before passing them into the team’s heritage carpenters. Once frames are restored, Kitty fits new heritage safety glass where retaining the original glass isn’t possible.

“The Old College project is my first experience of working on a building site. I enjoy the physical nature of the work which I prefer to sitting at a desk. Each day is different, I feel as if I’m learning something new all the time about the craft of restoring and refitting windows. Each window is bespoke and working with heritage glass requires particular conditions. It’s also an opportunity to learn from other skilled trades as we work closely with the stone masons as we prepare windows for refitting. The Old College project has given me an appetite for gaining a formal qualification in heritage work. The building also speaks to us – I was recently removing a window that had been worked on last in 1973. Written on the frame were the words “How long did they last?”

Richard Blinston, 35

Heritage Carpenter, Gary Davies Historical Carpenter Restoration Wales Ltd.

Richard is a heritage carpenter and works for Gary Davies Historical Carpenter Restoration Wales Ltd who is responsible for the restoration of the timber framed windows on Old College. Richard started working on the Old College project in the summer of 2023 having qualified as a site carpenter in 2008. Through the Cyfle Building Skills Shared Apprentice Scheme, he attended the Tywi Centre in Llandeilo for four weeks over a 12-month period, whilst continuing to work on the Old College project. Richard qualified with an NVQ level 3 in Heritage Construction Skills in December 2024.

“The Old College project has given me the opportunity to become a heritage carpenter. The work on site is varied, each window is different and being able to restore each one to its former glory is a hugely rewarding experience. Attending the Tywi Centre in Llandeilo has given me the confidence to develop my heritage carpentry skills whilst learning from others, and the experience of working on the Old College project has inspired me to look for other heritage work, once our work here is done.”

Mark Knight, 19

Apprentice Slater, Greenough & Sons Roofing Contractors Ltd

Mark joined Ynys Môn based roofing company Greenough & Sons Roofing Contractors Ltd in July 2022 as an apprentice working on the renovation of Manchester Town Hall. He started working on Old College in December 2023. As part of his apprenticeship, Mark attends the Simian Roof Training Centre in Warrington for a week every month. In February 2025 Mark won the Simian Pitch Roofing Apprentice of the Year award for his “exceptional craftsmanship, technical ability, and attention to detail”.

“It’s a great feeling to be working on a building like Old College, I love to learn about the history of old buildings. Working on the turrets of South Seddon in particular has been quite an experience and something to remember – it’s a rare opportunity to do this kind of work. I would love to go further with heritage work, it is so rewarding, so much of it isn’t square or level, but it still needs to look right. The apprenticeship covers all kinds of roofing work, including fitting solar panels, but the heritage, like the work on Old College, is picked up on site.”

Daniel Knight, 18

Apprentice Slater, Greenough & Sons Roofing Contractors Ltd

Daniel followed his brother Mark into the roofing trade when he became an apprentice roofer with Greenough & Sons Roofing Contractors Ltd in October 2023. Daniel also attends the Simian Roof Training Centre in Warrington for a week every month and in February 2025 was runner up to his brother Mark in the Simian Pitch Roofing Apprentice of the Year competition.

“I love looking at my work and taking pride in what I do – that feeling of stepping back when a job is finished gives me a real sense of “we did that!”.  Working with slate is magical, getting a feel for each slate and listening to it as you cut it, how they go together to make patterns and how they bend in different ways – there’s an art to getting them to fit. Working on the South Seddon turrets, each slate was individually cut with a slate hammer. We could have used a grinder but using a traditional slate hammer made over 150 years ago, around the time when Old College was being built, worked so much better.”

The Old College project is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Welsh Government and the European Regional Development Fund, UK Government, the Coastal Communities Fund, The National Lottery Community Fund, philanthropic trusts and individuals.