A PIONEERING scheme to increase the number of qualified craftspeople to help conserve and restore the Tees Valley's traditional pre-1919 buildings is growing.

Six apprentices have now begun training for new careers under the Heritage Skills Apprenticeship Project.

It is being piloted by Hartlepool Council and the aim is for up to 40 apprentices from the Tees Valley to be employed by local companies in the heritage and construction sector for the next two years.

Although the emphasis is on the traditional, they will also study the use of modern materials in contemporary construction, to give them the most rounded experience possible.

Marcus Lloyd, 19, Andrew Snowdon, 20, Aaron Weldrake, 27, Liam Parkinson, 17, and Alex Page, 20, have now started as apprentices, joining 18-year-old John Ashurst, who was the first to sign up to the scheme earlier in the year. Two of them, Marcus Lloyd and Andrew Snowden, are already involved in restoring the Grade II-listed former HSBC building on Hartlepool's Church Street.

Robbie Payne, chairman of Hartlepool Council’s regeneration services committee, added: “In 2012 alone almost £4bn was spent on restoring and maintaining England’s pre-1919 buildings, so it’s clear there is a major market, which Tees Valley companies can tap into by getting involved in this important scheme.”

For more information about the Heritage Skills Apprenticeship Project contact Caron Auckland at Hartlepool Council on 01429 284087 or email caron.auckland@hartlepool.gov.uk