Today we spoke to Stephen O’Donoghue, one of our outstanding construction lecturers, about his career before joining Telford College and what led to him becoming a lecturer.

“I started off in the trade through a Youth Opportunities Scheme” says Stephen, “I had a six-month placement with an employer, I got paid £25.50 a week and after that initial six months, he took me on as an apprentice.

“I then did a three-year City & Guilds apprenticeship, upon completion I stayed with the same employer after I’d finished and learnt the skills to be a conservation builder.”

Whilst working in this sector, Stephen also did a separate evening course in carpentry to improve his skillset and expand his horizons.

After a decade of working for the same employer, and getting married, Stephen decided to buy and fix a derelict house, leading to him setting up his own company, which has been operating for over 20 years.

“I became well known within English Heritage and local councils, as a recommended builder to fix their properties. Initially, I had no money; the first job I went into with no funds, so I’d have to start with the easier jobs, and we went from there.

“I’ve worked on lots of churches, Ludlow and St Giles’ in Shrewsbury, to name a couple. I’ve also worked on big halls that have been converted into apartments, still maintaining the fabric of the building whilst changing its use into apartments.

“I’ve worked on a lot of timber framed buildings too, such as the old Thorntons building in Shrewsbury. That involved renovating the timber and all the carvings, as well as using traditional joints.

“I once worked on an ancient house in Church Stretton. It had paintings all over the walls, painted onto lime plaster, but there wasn’t a lot left. We had to maintain what was there, then put protective glass over the top of it.

“That house dated back to the 1600s and it was all restored without damaging the painted plaster, we replaced all the timber and had a specialist to come in and work on the painting and replace any hairline cracks. It’s all still there today.

“My conservation building business is still flourishing, my brother is running the business and I go to sites and price up jobs at the weekends. At the moment I’m doing my teaching qualifications, I love doing my conservation work, working with lime mortar level 2 bricklaying comes naturally to me, but level 3 is right up my street.”

Stephen’s partner suggested he should come to Telford College to have a look around and see what it’s all about. “I came in for three days voluntarily, they put me straight into a classroom, delivering a lesson. The manager told me there was an opportunity available and I’d never been in an interview before! I came in and gave a presentation, despite being nervous and they told me I’d got the job.

“I’m almost 60 and people in this trade these days are hard to come by, I want to pass my skills on to the younger generation.

“I like teaching our students, it’s really rewarding. If a student is struggling, you give them a bit more 1:1 time. Once they pass exams, that gratitude and expression on their face is extremely rewarding. I feel I get on with all my students.

“Telford College is improving, we’re getting bigger all the time and we’re putting more resources into it. I can’t to see what the future brings!”