What are traditional buildings skills?

Historic buildings (pre-1919) often involve quite different building materials and techniques to modern construction. Maintaining and conserving these buildings therefore often needs different building skills and approaches to allow the building to retain its relevance and function today and in the future.

The knowledge and practical skills to work sympathetically on such buildings using original materials and techniques is termed traditional building skills.

> Click here to see the traditional building skills that the Bursary Scheme is addressing and to find out more about them.

What skills do I need?

Although the materials and techniques often vary and working with historic fabric and construction require certain considerations, working in the built heritage sector is similar to working in mainstream construction industry.

Work can be site-based or workshop based, or a combination of both, so you may have to be prepared to travel and work flexibly.

You may be required to work at heights and outside in inclement weather, so you need to consider your ability to do this.

If you’d like to work on maintaining and conserving historic buildings then you need to develop some practical skills in a field that interests you. These can be attained through formal training and work experience.

How do I get some training and experience?

If you do not currently have the necessary skills to make you eligible to apply for a Traditional Building Skills Bursary, then you may want to get some relevant training and experience first.

> Click here to look at a schematic diagram that explains how qualifications will help you work in the built heritage sector.

Take a look at the following websites for more information about training courses in traditional building skills:

• The Building Conservation Directory at:
  www.buildingconservation.com/
• The Conference on Training in Architectural Conservation at:
  www.cotac.org.uk/
• Essex County Council and Cressing Temple run courses in traditional building
  skills. Further information can be found at:
  www.cressingtemple.org.uk
• The Guild of Master Craftsmen at:
  www.guildmc.com/Public/Consumer/Courses-Colleges.asp#Learn
• Learndirect at:
  www.learndirect-advice.co.uk/featured/herit/
• The National Heritage Training Group at:
  www.nhtg.org.uk
• The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings at:
  www.spab.org.uk
• Weymouth College (courses in stone masonry and architectural stonework and conservation):
  www.weymouth.ac.uk/stonemasonry/
• Dorset Centre for Rural Skills runs short courses in a variety of rural craft skills. Further information can be found at:
  www.dorsetruralskills.co.uk
• For information about apprenticeships and training in the construction industry:
  www.bconstructive.co.uk/careers/
• The National Stone Centre:
  www.nationalstonecentre.org.uk
• College of the Peak:
  www.collegeofthepeak.org.uk

Need funding to help you train? Take a look at the following websites:

• Funding for practitioners and employers:

         www.conservationyork.org.uk

        

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