As a starting point, the website has a lot of information, including how to access training. Not surprisingly, much of the training is in the North and a small amount in the South West. The training is vocational in nature, which is exactly as it should be. It’s a practical skill that can surely only be learned by doing. It seems that anyone could become a Dry Stone Waller but I’m certain that there’s more to it than piling up a bunch of stones so it’s appropriate that the key skills and knowledge are passed on in a formulated syllabus and that competence is defined.
To do this, the DSWA work with an accrediting body called Lantra who provide training and assessment in the land based and environmental sector. This enables the DSWA to accredit craftsmen to various levels, the highest of which is described as “Master Craftsman”.
The development and retention of skills in any sector is important to the survival of skills and also to those seeking practitioners – it gives a “seal of approval” that the work will be of good quality. In my opinion, this is so important. In so many jobs and trades, people can set themselves up as practitioners and conduct work that is shoddy, which is clearly bad for customers, but also the trade at large. Additionally, I think it does genuinely skilled workers a disservice that people think that “anyone can do it”, when so many have spent a long time honing and developing skills to a high level.
Anyway, Master Craftsman seems to be the ultimate goal, but it would appear that a working waller could crack on with an intermediate level award under his or her belt. How long this would take, I do not yet know, but, in principle, that’s another great thing about a Vocational approach to qualification. Attainment is (or should be) based on actual demonstration of competence, rather than “time served” so, in theory, qualification should depend on how quickly an individual develops.
I searched through the list of training suppliers. None in the South East as far as I could see (and, to be fair, Dry Stone Walls do not feature heavily in the South East landscape). My next thought was the North East. My mother and father in law live in Morpeth, Northumbria – definitely Dry Stone Wall territory, so there’s convenient accommodation if I can access appropriate training. (As a side note, I should also mention that there is a plan for our Family to relocate to the North East. My wife wants to be closer to her parents and as our 4 year old Boy/Girl twins, get older, our 2 bedroom terrace seems to get smaller and, simply, bigger houses are cheaper up North!)
I found a college that offered courses only to be told that they’d stopped running them so I tried another chap listed – Donald Gunn. I gave Donald a call and he told me that he runs a two day “taster” course over a weekend in various places around Northumbria with the next one running in a couple of weeks’ time. Sounds perfect. Simply, I’ll book a long weekend and drive up. The wife and kids get a long weekend with Gran and Grandad and I get to go and play in the great outdoors!
It seems, based on what I’ve read, that it may be possible to attend a series of training weekends as and when they’re available and when it fits with other commitments. This is fine…without much spare money floating about, it’s not like I’ll be using my leave on long holidays anytime soon. It’s a journey that we and our trusty Skoda are well used to and my wife won’t have a problem as it means more visits to see her parents!
On the face of it, it seems like something very attainable for me, and the learning process should be a pleasure too. I titled this entry with a bit of wisdom attributed to Confucius. He seems to have been a wise man indeed – here’s another “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand”. There really is very little substitute for getting hands on and actually doing something to learn it. I’ve played the Academic game for so many years, what with school, University, professional study and it’s all a bit of a farce in my opinion. I’ve called it a game because that’s what it is – it has rules that you need to follow and as long as you follow those rules you can get through…all that is ever really tested is knowledge and the ability to regurgitate it on request either via an essay or exam. Very little in academia ever confers any actual competence because what is missing is experience. I’m so bored by academic study. It’s so tedious and all I’ve ever done is to figure out what it is the teacher/tutor/examiner wants to hear (which isn’t always what I think!) and give them that because it gets me a certificate that says I can follow someone else’s vision of the truth.
By learning a skill in a hands-on way will be a pleasure – the learning is tangible, real and the test is in the construction itself. No more navel gazing – you either build it well, or build it badly. It will be so nice not having to pander to academics' egos to get a pretty meaningless piece of paper. Far better to go through a learning process and come away with hard skills. I can’t wait to get started.
One last note, I've also just joined the DSWA - it cost £24 for the year as an open member. For that I get a quarterly magazine and access to a network of professionals that I hope will be a great resource for me in my journey.
See you soon.Al
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