Spec Finish

Key appointment to support Knauf Insulation’s Heraklith® range Knauf Insulation has appointed Ross Foreman as National Wood Wool Manager for UK & Ireland to meet the increasing demand for its Heraklith® range of wood wool products. The appointment reinforces the company’s commitment to giving architects and specifiers design freedom through a diverse range of insulation solutions. Ross will work with Knauf Insulation’s regional sales, specification and technical support teams, drawing on nearly 10 years of insulation experience to help architects and designers create design statements with wood wool. Ross said: “Insulation is usually hidden away in the building’s construction, but there are applications where it’s on display. I’m looking forward to working closely with our customers to help them deliver insulation solutions that not only comply with increasingly stringent regulatory standards but look great too.” www.knaufinsulation.co.uk NEWS COMMUNITY www.thefis.org 29 Ross Foreman, National Wood Wool Manager at Knauf UK & Ireland Telford company aims to address the serious skills shortage in plastering V&D Interiors has pledged to ensure skills are not lost by launching a plastering apprenticeship. The business has already had a trial run of it’s scheme, a six-week scheme supported by British Gypsum, which led to five students passing a course, two with distinction. The business, which is working with SBC Training, now aims to stage apprenticeships in May and September and want to provide an opportunity for local people, bridging the construction gap. V&D Interiors Contracts Manager and head trainer Paul Nightingale said: “We know there is a serious shortage in skilled labour in the industry and wanted to do something about it. “We purchased a building in 2019 which has three separate units and there was always the belief and driving ambition to use a unit as an academy and training centre. “We now have the facility to get our ambitions up and running and hopefully we can work with apprentices, moving forward, and hopefully they will come through and start a career with us or go on to do their own thing. “Plastering is such an important skill and we don’t want it to be lost so we have to address the skills shortage. We have come to a point where there’s no new blood coming through with the skills. We have realised it is important to pass on the experience of our staff”. Paul concluded by saying: “I want to give new apprentices the passion and pride to do the job and the knowledge to learn the job. We have an amazing facility, which we believe is the best in the drylining and plastering industry and is endorsed by lead plastering and drylining manufacturers.” www.vd-interiors.co.uk (L-R) Paul Nightingale (V D), Calvin Challis (V D) and Colin Thaw (SBC Training) Sector Day: Commercial and D&B fit-out sector Hill Dickinson LLP, London 17 May 2023 FIS Regional Meeting Scotland 18 May 2023 FIS Awards Lunch Royal Lancaster Hotel, London 8 June 2023 Sector Day: Housebuilding and residential sector Milton Keynes 28 June 2023 FIS Regional Meeting Birmingham 19 July 2023 FIS Scottish Awards Lunch voco Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow 15 September 2023 FIS AGM and Regional Meeting Hill Dickinson LLP, London 7 November Training Awards Lunch Plaisterers Hall, London 21 November FIS Regional Meeting Manchester 29 November 2023 For further information of these events visit www.thefis.org/events DATES FOR YOUR DIARY TheWorshipful Company of Plaisterers