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HEF Policy Priorities Statement

In autumn 2023, HEF agreed a statement of  the Forum’s common-ground support for key future policy measures relating to the historic environment. The content of this statement reflects collaborative discussion by members at this year’s HEF Foresight Day. The key asks of the statement are:

– Enable the historic environment to deliver the best possible outcomes for the public by building resilience in places, organisations, and structures.

– Enhance the historic environment’s contribution to reaching Net Zero goals through the implementation of a National Retrofit Strategy.

– Maximise environmental benefits by ensuring the natural and historic elements of our landscapes are considered and managed holistically.

The full statement is available here.


Skills Resilience: an Interview with Isabel McKernan, Heritage Project Manager at CITB Northern Ireland

As part of the Skills theme of our Sector Resilience Interview series, we heard from Isabel McKernan, Heritage Project Manager at the Construction Industry Training Board for Northern Ireland (CITB NI). In 2022, the CITB NI embarked on a new three-year project to invest in traditional heritage skills training and re-establish trades in danger of being lost.
Read on to find out more.
Isabel, tell us a bit about yourself and your role in the heritage sector.

My name is Isabel McKernan, I am Heritage Project Manager at the Construction Industry Training Board for Northern Ireland (CITB NI).

CITB NI’s role is to encourage the adequate training of those employed or intending to be employed in the construction industry, to improve skills and productivity and deliver a safe, professional and fully qualified workforce across the whole of the construction industry in Northern Ireland. 

CITB NI has been actively involved in promoting training opportunities in traditional building skills, working with key stakeholders since 2009. In September 2022, CITB NI commenced a 3-year heritage project to further heritage skills training, supported by Covid Recovery Programme which is funded by the Department for Communities and administered by the Heritage Fund in Northern Ireland.

What can you share with us about the CITB NI’s Heritage Project? What does it aim to achieve for skills and capacity in the heritage sector?

The project builds on previous research undertaken by CITB NI, which found that Northern Ireland has an increasing number of pre-1919 buildings requiring maintenance and repair, increasing the need for traditional skills. This research also identified skills shortages, with stonemasons, heritage joiners, blacksmiths and thatchers particularly needed in Northern Ireland.

Unfortunately, there are limited pathways for learners to undertake accredited vocational heritage training in Northern Ireland, and there are barriers to some craftspeople taking on an apprentice on an informal basis. This has resulted in an ageing workforce, with many heritage craftspeople due to retire in the next five years, which will exacerbate existing shortages and have a real effect on retention and condition of historic buildings.

The project aims to raise awareness and knowledge of traditional skills and materials through providing training and upskilling opportunities and engagement with schools to promote careers in heritage construction.

However, the overarching aim of the project is to test the viability of long-term training provision in heritage skills outside of funded projects in order to increase consistent opportunities for people to train in traditional building skills. If successful, this should increase capacity in the heritage sector through actively providing accredited training and upskilling opportunities, supporting a high-quality skills output, and encouraging new entrants in areas of high need.

Images (c) CITB NI

 What contribution will this make towards the resilience of the heritage sector?

The project works closely with a number of different heritage and stakeholder organisations, strengthening relationships and working towards the shared aim of improving access to heritage skills and training. The sector will be more resilient, both through increased opportunities for collaboration, and also through increasing capacity and skills within the workforce, which will help to protect and maintain our historic environment into the future.

What does success look like for the Heritage Project? How do you plan to measure this?

By the end of the project in summer 2025, the aim is to increase the pool of skilled craftspeople, which will allow for the enhancement of heritage places and spaces and begin to re-establish heritage trades and skills currently in danger of being lost.

Success of the project is measured through the amount of people who benefit from training, the number of new entrants to the heritage sector through the project, and the legacy of the project through the ability to continue training into the future.

Where can we find out more?

To find out more about the project and to attend heritage training events, you can visit https://www.citbni.org.uk/Heritage-Project.aspx, or email heritage@citbni.org.uk.

You can also follow the project on Twitter @TradSkillsNI, and follow CITB NI on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Overall, what do you think is most crucial for ensuring a resilient heritage sector?

Working together and supporting the organisations and craftspeople that are sharing skills, and those which have shared interests and goals. Sharing knowledge and promoting opportunities for people to get involved in the sector is also really important.

This Sector Resilience interview was shared by Isabel McKernan as part of our Heritage Sector Resilience Plan activities. 

If you’d like to contribute an interview as part of the series, follow the link below to find out more:

Sector Resilience Interviews – Historic Environment Forum

Join the HEF team! We are recruiting

Historic Environment Forum Manager

Are you passionate about the heritage sector? Do you want to facilitate the future of collaboration across important issues facing the sector?

The Historic Environment Forum (HEF) is seeking an outstanding person to manage the Forum and its Steering Group. HEF is a Historic England-funded project delivered on behalf of the wider sector by the Heritage Alliance, the heritage sector’s umbrella organisation and advocacy body.

Location: central London/ homeworking
Salary: £36,000 FTE (Pro-rata 4 days per week; initial fixed term contract to the end of March 2025)

To apply: Please submit the completed application form with a covering letter outlining your reasons for applying for the post to Dr Mike Heyworth, HEF Team Leader, at heftask1@historicenvironmentforum.org.uk.

Closing date: 12 noon, 8 December 2023
You can view the Full Job Description here.

For an informal chat about the post prior to applying, please do contact Dr Mike Heyworth on heftask1@historicenvironmentforum.org.uk.

Skills Resilience: an Interview with Fleur Gordon, Head of Skills & Crafts at the National Trust

As part of the Skills theme of our Sector Resilience Interview series, we heard from Fleur Gordon, Head of Skills & Crafts at the National Trust, all about the Trust’s Specialist Crafts Centres and how they are working to sustain longer-term expertise in heritage skills.
Read on to find out more.
Fleur, tell us a bit about yourself and your role in the heritage sector.

I’m the National Trust’s Head of Skills & Crafts, focussing on developing long-term self-sufficiency of professional, technical and craft skills for the Trust, as well as growing external partnerships in order to share development opportunities and foster heritage skills training.

Founded in 1895 the National Trust is the largest conservation charity in Europe and our charitable purpose remains the same – to provide nature, history and beauty for the nation. With approximately 29,000 buildings, including 500 significant country houses, castles and mansions, in our care, the Trust’s strategic ambitions include:

  • ‘Looking After’ – we will care for our places and give them a sustainable future,
  • ‘Growing Support’ – we will give people more opportunities to get involved and support our work,
  • ‘Curation and Experiences’ – we will make sure our places keep evolving, attracting and inspiring people
  • ‘People and Resources’ – we will be an inclusive, welcoming and sustainable organisation
What can you tell us about the National Trust’s Specialist Crafts Centres? What do they aim to achieve?

The Trust’s 10 Specialist Crafts Centres were established in 2022, with the Vision:

‘to create recognised centres of excellence for the provision of crafts skills across the National Trust, preserving and championing traditional skills and developing new and existing talent to provide the highest level of care for our buildings and engagement with our supporters.’

Our Specialist Crafts teams provide stonemasonry and joinery/carpentry specialisms and work regionally, supporting our more significant places. They form a national community of skilled building conservation professionals, collaborating and sharing good practice.

The Centres also support the Trust’s Heritage Skills Apprenticeship Programme, which started in 2022. We currently have 13 joinery and stonemasonry apprentices, with ambitions to host more. The apprentices are mentored by, and work with, our Specialist Crafts teams. Each apprentice will benefit from a post-apprentice year with the Trust to further embed their skills

An image of a map of England and Wales, showing the locations of National Trust Specialist Crafts Centres. The locations mentioned are Fountains Abbey, Dunham Massey, Clumber Park, Hardwick Hall, Attingham, Park Farm, Lacock, Montacute, Cotehele and Lanhydrock
What contribution will this make towards the resilience of the heritage sector?
  • develops and supports the new talent pipeline in heritage skills
  • promotes cultural heritage & demonstrates the Trust’s commitment to conservation
  • raises the profile of building crafts to wider audiences, so more young people consider it as a career.
  • Increases the diversity of participants by providing opportunities for hard-to-reach communities to engage with heritage skills and learn about traditional building techniques.
  • encourages diverse audiences to benefit from the skills and expertise of the Specialist Crafts teams, by providing opportunities for people from under-represented backgrounds to become involved with building conservation
  • using the Centres as a vehicle to deliver wider building conservation upskilling.
What does success look like for your work? How do you plan to measure this?
  • Successful apprenticeship programme – mapping apprenticeships delivery against KPIs, including recruitment from diverse groups to improve young peoples’ opportunities and retention in the industry.
  • Good quality engagement – involving conservation in action, training, providing CPD, outreach with young people (including schools and educational institutions and offering placements).
  • Measuring outcomes via feedback from participants, growing diversity of audiences and assessing impacts on people and communities.
Where can we find out more?

We’re in the process of creating a Linkedin page for the Trust’s Specialist Crafts, but in the meantime I’m often posting about our Specialist Craft teams on Linkedin.

You can also hear from one of our apprentices, here.

Overall, what do you think is most crucial for ensuring a resilient heritage sector?

Appropriate resourcing – having people with passion, skills and expertise who, with the right capacity support, can improve lives and communities through heritage.

This Sector Resilience interview was shared by Fleur Gordon as part of our Heritage Sector Resilience Plan activities. 

If you’d like to contribute an interview as part of the series, follow the link below to find out more:

Sector Resilience Interviews – Historic Environment Forum

Historic Environment Forum receives funding new award from Historic England

The Historic Environment Forum (HEF) is delighted to announce that it has been awarded a grant from Historic England to continue its collaborative action and sector Task Group activities. This renewed funding will support the HEF’s core secretariat functions and proactive project work, enabling Historic Environment Forum members to continue to work in partnership for the benefit of England’s historic environment sector.

Thanks to this generous funding, the Forum will be working together on a range of activities over the next 18 months, including:

·         Planning and convening new Task Group activity to respond to sector priorities

·         Continuing to facilitate proactive, cross-sector delivery of the Heritage Sector Resilience Plan

·         Looking at opportunities to work with wider partners and continually improve HEF’s inclusive practices

·         Continuing HEF’s role as reference group to DCMS’ Heritage Council and working closely with key partners on sector insights

·         Inputting into ongoing sector work on Heritage Counts.

We are thankful to Historic England for supporting Forum activities, to the Heritage Alliance for hosting the HEF project team on behalf of the wider Forum membership, and to all members of HEF for their continued in-kind contributions and commitment to the Forum’s collaborative goals.

Keep in touch with the latest news from the HEF by following us on LinkedIn or on Twitter.

HEF News Archive
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