AN ALVA apprentice has been doing his bit for the environment by helping to install Forth Valley College's new Renewable & Energy Efficiency Training Centre.

Reece McCulloch has been heavily involved in installing the solar thermal and photovoltaic equipment, as well as air and ground source heat pumps, at the Falkirk Campus.

The 17-year-old modern apprentice joiner, who works will Dawson Bespoke Joinery in Stirling, has been working as an apprentice for the last nine months and attends FVC's Stirling Campus two days a week for training.

He said: "I worked on building the roof space for the renewable workshops and helped to erect all of the framing round the training bays.

"That is the first roof I have worked on and it has been a great experience.

"Everything these days is going down the renewables route and I think it looks cool and after working on this project, is something I will be able to talk about with confidence in conversation.

"I think my modern apprenticeship is great and I would definitely recommend it."

Ironically Colin Dawson, owner of the company Reece works for, trained as a joiner himself at the old Falkirk College of Technology and reckons that his old workshop on the Middlefield site would not have been far away from where the new renewable facility currently is.

He said: "This has been an interesting job to be involved in. In our industry we need to be aware of all the aspects of the trade and it is becoming normal for renewables to be fitted at the same time as joiners are working on building houses.

"I have certainly been asking a lot of questions to the renewables engineers who have been working on installing the equipment here."