"The opportunities are really endless for people that join the industry"

When looking for a new career, you might have overlooked scaffolding due to some initial preconceptions, but employees at South West-based LTC have spoken out about why they feel more people should consider a role in this challenging, yet rewarding, industry.

Whether you're coming from a construction background or have never worked a day of manual labour in your life, LTC is happy to give you all the training necessary to enjoy a long-lasting career within the city and beyond.

As a leading Scaffolding Training and Access provider in the UK, LTC supports its clients from early engagement and assisting with scope, to undertaking in-house design and installation on site.

The personable company, with many long-serving members, has a proven track record of gaining repeat business through its excellent performance. We spoke to those who have been trained by LTC to hear what it's really like working on some of the most impressive buildings in the country.

LTC Training Services' Managing Director, Neil Gray, explained how the company's training schemes mean that employees not only feel fulfilled within their roles but they can also aim for some great workplace progression in a short space of time.

As well as scaffold-based training, LTC trainees and employees have the chance to continually develop their skills and learn, with a wide range of courses available, such as Mental Health First Aid, Cherry Picker operator, Asbestos Awareness, Harness Inspections, Telehandler, Rescue at Height, and many more.

He said: "We deliver many different training courses. The majority of them are overseen by awarding bodies, organisations like IPAF (International Powered Access Federation for operating Powered Access machines) and PASMA for erecting and dismantling aluminum towers. We deliver CISRS which deals with the scaffold training side of things. We also offer many in-house training courses that we can deliver, we can fine-tune those and make bespoke courses for our customers as well.”

Neil went on to explain his inspiring journey into scaffolding, showing anyone can do it if they put their mind to it.

"I started my career back in September of 1989 as a Trainee Scaffolder," he said. "Throughout the years I’ve progressed to a qualified Scaffolder and an Advanced Scaffolder, subsequently into a supervisory role, then continued into a Contract Manager role, and then into the instructing side of things, the Health and Safety, and into my current position now as Managing Director of our Training organisation.

"So, I now have a wide scope of knowledge, which has carried me right the way through the industry and I think anybody else who’s willing to put their head down and work hard can absolutely achieve the same thing, they really can.”

After working in retail, Luke Bowditch, Estimator/Surveyor at LTC Specialist Scaffolding, decided he needed a change. He soon found that LTC opened a lot of doors for him.

"When I finished my apprenticeship, I was approached by some of the management team who said ‘how would I feel about becoming a Supervisor’ and joining the management team, which was an opportunity that I grasped.

"I was a Supervisor for a couple of years, then moved onto being a Management Trainee and progressed up through management, to what I do today: Estimating, Surveying, pricing jobs, preparing invoices, preparing bills for the clients, making sure we get paid and on time by the clients. It’s been a really good progression through.”

Not only can scaffolding be a rewarding and progressive career path, but it also allows employees to travel and see some amazing landscapes.

Ex-Exeter Chiefs player and current Trainee Scaffolder, Robbie Weeks, explained what he finds most enjoyable at work.

"The views are incredible and every day's different. If you’re working on a street, the higher you get, the more you see. You see things you wouldn’t see on the ground."

He continued: " Being in the trade you travel a lot and see things the majority of people wouldn’t see in an office or in the supermarket."

This sentiment was shared by Luke, who added: “There are very few places like this in the UK, everybody comes to Cornwall to go on holiday and it’s right here on our doorstep. What a fantastic place to work."

But it's not just the South West that scaffolders get to see, Neil was keen to share some of the great benefits of being a skilled worker.

"I don’t think you’ll ever be out of work if you’re a good Scaffolder," he said. "The opportunities to work in many different environments, Construction, Civils, refurbishment, the opportunities to travel, not only in the UK but around the world. So, I think the opportunities are really endless for people that join the industry.”

Once qualified as a Scaffolder, you'll have the opportunity to work on some of the largest construction projects in Europe, for example, Hinkley, Point or work overseas as your CISRS Card is valued throughout the world.

If scaffolding sounds like it could be the right career path for you, then why not sign up today? All you need to do is head to the website and make contact with LTC.

If you're unsure whether you're the right fit, Neil gave some reassuring advice, he said: "Generally there’s no requirements or prerequisites for people to become a Scaffolder, as long as they’re physically fit, as you can imagine it's a very manual job so really that’s the only requirement, and a willingness to learn."

Once you've taken the plunge and signed up, remember Robbie's invaluable advice. "Ask questions, just keep asking. I know I ask my supervisor a lot of questions but he always tells me it’s a good thing because it means that I'm interested and always keen to learn more.”

To find out more about careers in scaffolding and the training opportunities available, head to the LTC website, here.