Traditional Building Skills Training Programmes
Explore a range of bursary-funded training programmes which aim to develop the understanding and practical skills needed to work on historic buildings and gardens.
Beyond bursaries, a wide range of training courses and qualifications are available, from short courses to specialist applied skills programmes. Find out more on our Training and Qualifications page.
You can also visit the GoConstruct website to learn more about construction apprenticeships.
We are supporting and recruiting heritage apprenticeships at Historic England. See the Heritage Apprenticeships and Historic England Apprenticeship pages to find out more.
Historic England is currently running the Heritage Building Skills Programme, a 5 year skills and training programme that creates opportunities for apprentices and trainees to learn traditional building skills from industry experts. The programme pioneers a new training model engaging with participants from entry level, to professionals expanding their skillset. Our trainees and apprentices are invited to an innovative residential interdisciplinary training experience as part of the programme.
You can find out more about the programme on its dedicated page on our website.
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) Scholarship and Fellowship programmes are supported by Historic England.
Scholarship
The scholarship is a training programme for early-career architects, surveyors, and engineers to gain the skills and knowledge they'll need to work with traditional buildings. Each year, scholars spend 9 months learning on-site from specialist craftspeople and building conservation experts. Many scholars are now leading conservation experts in the UK and overseas, looking after a wide range of historic buildings and sites in a variety of roles.
Find out more about the scholarship and how to apply on the SPAB website.
William Morris Craft Fellowship
The fellowship programme is designed to broaden the skills and experience of craftspeople, from any trade, who want to develop their career in the repairing of historic buildings. Each year the fellows spend six months travelling the length of the country together, visiting sites and working with craftspeople, contractors and professionals.
Find out more about the fellowship and how to apply on the SPAB website.
The King's Foundation
The King's Foundation Building Craft Programme gives practical experience in traditional building skills and an opportunity to gain a Heritage Skills NVQ Level 3. This course is designed for craftspeople looking to bridge the gap between basic construction qualifications and becoming a master craftsperson working within the heritage sector. Historic England supports the programme.
Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust
The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) offers scholarships for the training and education of craftspeople in traditional and contemporary crafts with the aim of sustaining vital skills. Alongside this, QEST also offers grants for early-career craftspeople and apprenticeships. The QEST Building Arts Programme, run in collaboration with The King’s Foundation, focuses particularly on crafts and trades relevant to the built environment.
Cathedrals' Workshop Fellowship
The Cathedrals' Workshop Fellowship offers apprentice stonemasons, carpenters/joiners, plumbers and electricians training in heritage craft skills a recognised route to higher level qualifications. The fellowship also provides apprentices with access to experts from all 12 of the participating cathedrals, drawing on the particular expertise of each cathedral’s master craftspeople.
Find out more about the fellowship and how to apply on the CWF website.
The Historic and Botanic Garden Training Programme
The Historic and Botanic Garden Training Programme (HBGTP) has been running since 2006. English Heritage leads the programme, working in partnership with the Professional Gardeners’ Guild and the Royal Horticultural Society, among others. HBGTP trainees develop their technical knowledge and high-level practical skills by working alongside professional teams in some of the most important gardens in the country.
Placements are either 1 year or 2 years and are fully funded, with a salary of at least the National Living Wage.
The Historic and Botanic Garden Training Programme website provides information on how to apply for these placements.
Canal and Rivers Trust
The Canal and Rivers Trust Future Talent Programmes recruit across both Wales and England. Trainees gain practical skills working alongside the Canal and Rivers Trust construction teams and are given the opportunity to work towards Level 2 NVQs and Apprenticeships.
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