Lead Sheet Training Academy (LSTA)

The Lead Sheet Training Academy (LSTA) is a training organisation in the United Kingdom that teaches the craft of working with sheet lead and other traditional roofing metals, such as copper and zinc (often called "hard metals" in the UK trade). Its purpose-built training facility is near Tonbridge in Kent, England, and it can also run courses at other UK locations. The academy marks a centenary covering 1926 to 2026.

Role

Sheet lead has long been used in British building for flashings, gutters, valleys, roofs on bays and dormers, and whole roofs on churches and historic buildings. Working lead well requires hand skills such as bossing (shaping the metal with wooden tools), welding (lead burning) and correct sizing of pieces to allow for thermal movement. The LSTA keeps these skills in use for new building and conservation work.

Courses and qualifications

• Specialist Applied-skills Programmes (SAP) at Level 2 and Level 3 in lead or hard metal. The LSTA states that the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) appointed it as the sole UK provider of these programmes.
• City & Guilds accredited programmes in leadwork and hard metal at basic, intermediate and advanced levels.
• NVQ Level 2 and Level 3 On-site Assessment and Training (OSAT) for experienced workers who need a formal qualification.
• Bespoke and safety training, including cut-off saw operation.

The academy is a CITB Approved Training Organisation, and its tutors are CITB-approved assessors.

Other resources

The LSTA publishes a technical manual on leadwork and keeps a directory of traditional metal roofers.

Context

Lead sheet for building in the UK and Europe is made to the standard BS EN 12588, and thicknesses are described by "code" numbers, for example Code 4 or Code 5. Because lead is toxic, safe handling, hygiene and avoiding run-off onto other materials are part of modern training. In other countries, sheet metal and roofing apprenticeships cover similar skills, though lead is used less widely in North America.