“It has given me the basic skills and confidence to do general brickwork and repairs.”
Alex O Beirne, an electrician with Choice Services has recently completed a brickwork course facilitated by SERC (South Eastern Regional College), Newtownards. The course covers a range of topics from damp proofing to the creation of garden walls and basic installation.
Speaking about completing the course, Alex says it was a challenging but enjoyable venture, “It was extremely rewarding but quite tiring at the same time. It has added to my skills base and I’m really pleased to have completed it. I got to meet new people, in various industries, sharing knowledge and the lecturer was attentive and very approachable. The lecturer was always very willing to give support, even after the course had finished.”
He continues, “I learned a wide variety of new skills such as basic trowel skills, laying a bed of mortar at 10mm, types of stretcher, soldier brick positioning, using plumbline, building peers/pillars, corners, retaining walls, blockwork, wall ties, working with lime mortar, setting up a spot board, pointing and using plasticizer which helps the mortar be more pliable. The lecturer also showed us how to split a brick and a block using the old-fashioned method of brick bolster and lump hammer.”
Alex says the coursework has given him more confidence and he would recommend the course to anyone considering improving their building and repairs skills, “It’s definitely worthwhile and excellent for developing personal skills. I would recommend the course. I didn’t know what to expect, but it has more than met my expectations and I feel it has been extremely worthwhile, enjoyable. It was quite taxing at times having to complete the course after working a full day with Choice Services but the benefits and positives far outweigh any of the negatives.”
Alex was supported by the Learning and Development Department at Choice Housing to undertake the course. The course was fully funded by Choice Services.
