TRADE NEWS: Tommy Walsh meets with Yarlington traders

TRADE professionals from Yarlington Housing Group had the opportunity to meet celebrity builder and landscaper Tommy Walsh in Yeovil.

The former star of TV’s popular Ground Force show was at Yeovil College last month to officially open its new construction skills centre.

The 13 employees from Yarlington Housing Group that attended the opening of the construction skills centre, and who have been one of the first groups to make use of the facilities, have been working towards an NVQ Level 2 Diploma in Building Maintenance Multi-trade Repair & Refurbishment Operations at Yeovil College as part of Yarlington’s initiative to multi-skill their repairs and voids operatives.

PHOTO – TOP: Multi-skilled trade professionals Daniel Whittall, Martin Bull, Rob Barford, Phil Adams, Daniel Culliford, Barbara Richardson (Yarlington Executive Director of Growth & Investment), Tommy Walsh, Jake Snell (Yarlington Repairs Manager), Multi-Skilled Trade Professionals; George Fox, Mark Smalley, Tony Sirl, John Rogers, Dave Groves, Daniel Williams.

PHOTO – RIGHT: Tommy Walsh (right) presents Yarlington multi-skilled operative George Fox with his Certificate of Achievement.

Yarlington’s repairs manager, Jake Snell, said: “Fifty-one per cent of our trade professionals are now multi-skilled rather than single-skilled and able to maintain our properties and carry out repairs for customers across a multitude of construction disciplines; from painting and plastering to plumbing or brickwork.

“The NVQ in Construction & Maintenance Operations has enabled employees to build on their already diverse skill set, and make use of the new construction skills centre to practice and advance their knowledge further.

“This is of huge benefit to Yarlington as it means that one person can go into a property and perform an array of repairs which reduces the need for multiple visits from different trade professionals, helps in getting things done quicker and reduces overhead costs, overall giving a better repairs service to our customers.”

The 13 trade professionals, who range in age from their 20s to 60s and competing their qualification this month (July 2015), were presented with a certificate of achievement by Tommy Walsh in recognition of their continued success and dedication towards the two-year course.