Heritage fixers — renew your Level 3 Heritage CSCS card

The Tile Association is advising fixers who hold the Level 3 Heritage CSCS card through grandfather rights to make sure they renew their card.

Tilers who let their card expire will face a much longer and potentially more costly process to get a new one than if they simply renew it.

With more and more clients demanding a valid CSCS card, it is definitely worth having and keeping hold of, entitling holders to work on pre-1919 heritage projects, including listed buildings. There will certainly be lots of work in this area well into the future.

Independent fixer and TTA Fixer Training Committee member Philip Hobson holds the card and in 2014 was awarded the Master Craftsman Award, the highest in the tiling industry, in recognition of his excellence, particularly in the heritage sector.

Philip is highly skilled in geometric tiling, specialist restoration work and the reproduction of Victorian tiles — and is passionate about the need for the tiling industry to deliver more heritage qualified fixers.

“We desperately need these skills in our industry,” he said, “The lack of skilled tilers who are capable of carrying out heritage work has to be addressed, not least because projects in this area will be plentiful for the foreseeable future. It’s important work on so many levels and it’s my goal to prevent this noble trade from dying out.”

The Tile Association is working with the CITB and the National Heritage Training Group (NHTG) to develop new training opportunities. Currently the Heritage NVQ L3 Diploma in Wall & Floor Tiling is available though On Site Assessment & Training (OSAT). For more details of this, Heritage CSCS cards and other heritage craft training courses and qualifications, contact the NHTG Helpdesk or visit their online Traditional Building Skills Training Directory on http://www.the-nhtg.org.uk/training-quals/training-course-provider-search/