An initiative to demonstrate traditional building skills to young people has been praised by Martin Whitfield MSP.

Organised by the Scottish Traditional Building Forum at the Scottish Parliament, the event involved young people working in the industry delivering mini-masterclasses to schoolchildren, including pupils from Galashiels Academy.

The demonstration was organised as part of the Build Your Future programme, an industry initiative involving collaborative working to promote the many and diverse careers within the construction sector.

Mr Whitfield also chatted with some of the participants at the event and had an opportunity to try some of the traditional skills being demonstrated.

Speaking after the event, Martin Whitfield MSP said:

“It was great to see pupils from Galashiels Academy and other schools in action having opportunities to try out some new building skills at this Scottish Traditional Building Forum event.

“It’s really important to do more to promote the many diverse career opportunities that exist in construction. The Build Your Future programme is helping young people, parents and educators explore career opportunities in the Built Environment.

“Our economic prosperity depends on a strong, skilled workforce building Scotland’s future. I’m pleased that young people are being given chances like this to find out more about jobs they might not consider otherwise.”

 Find out more about Build Your Future at www.dyw.scot/buildyourfuture.html.