How To Get Involved in the Historic Environment

How to get involved with building conservation

Fewer decisions in life are bigger or more complex than choosing a career. Choosing to work with the historic environment can be a positive step that can guide many of your decisions.

The historic environment is made up of any building or landscape with historic significance to its community. This is what makes this sector so wide, vibrant and exciting.

Working with the historic environment

This is a broad sector and there are hundreds of different job roles, organisations and businesses within it. Building conservation is a key part of this and an important area to explore within this.

You can learn and train within the historic environment sector, but there are also many people that join it by bringing skills they have learnt elsewhere.

The importance of building conservation

Building conservation is how we look after our traditional buildings, towns and landscapes so that we can continue to enjoy, use and live in them for generations. To do this we need diverse people bringing diverse skills such as:

traditional building crafts like stonemasonry, where stone is cut to repair traditional buildings
scientific and technical research, where problems with our historic buildings are studied in detail at our labs and at sites
digital documentation, where new technologies can create 3D digital surveys of sites and monuments
construction management, where specialised projects at sites are carefully controlled
architecture, surveying and design, where specialist construction knowledge ensures historic buildings are appropriately maintained, adapted and fit for future use

How we can help

At the Engine Shed in Stirling we focus on bringing together traditional skills and cutting-edge technology which are essential for working with traditional buildings.

From conservation science to digital documentation, meet the teams working here.

Meet our teams

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Professions in building conservation

Professions in building conservation

As our historic environment is a finite and unique resource, care of it requires expert skills and knowledge. But these skills are often in short supply. Training to work in a technical, craft or construction role could offer you ample opportunities.

Look at My World of Work to see the full range of jobs available and more detail on the requirements for each role, including a breakdown of the subjects you could choose to study at school. And for more careers support and events, explore Developing the Young Workforce.

There are many jobs to choose from, here are some examples:

Architecture

Architect
Architectural Technician
Architectural Technologist (Building Technologist)

Engineering

Surveying

Craft and traditional skills

Joiner
Stonemason
Blacksmith
Painter & Decorator
Plasterer
Gardener
Roofer (could include Slater, Leadworker, Thatcher)
Brick Layer
Dry Stone Dyking
Earth Builder
Wall and Floor Tiler

Technical

Collections Manager
Digital Documentation & Innovation Manager
Conservation Scientist
Climate Change Scientist
Applied Conservation (Conservator)
Construction Manager
Conservation Officer

Contact us at technicaleducation@hes.scot for more information for how to get involved with specialist occupations like a Thatcher or a Leadworker.

Explore more construction career profiles with Developing the Young Workforce [PDF, 61.92MB].

Hear from our people

We've spoken to people that work in both technical and construction roles, watch our short films, and read our case studies and blogs to find out more about these roles.

Explore a day in the life of a conservation scientist in our blog.

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How to get involved with building conservation

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Ways to train in building conservation

Ways to train in building conservation

There are different ways that you can learn the skills and knowledge to work in the historic environment. Often your study choices should be guided by your interests or skills you have learned.

Qualifications in Scotland

There are lots of types of qualifications to choose from, these are structured by the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF scale). Their interactive framework explains the different types of qualification that are available.

Explore the SCQF interactive framework.

It is worth considering what transferrable skills could be learnt when choosing your preferred study route. Remember, it’s quite usual for people to choose to specialise in building conservation and specific niche areas after their initial studies.

The main routes you can take to learn and train are with apprenticeships, and through courses at college and university. You can study part time for all the options below.

Apprenticeships in Scotland

Foundation Apprenticeships are for S5 and S6 pupils to work with an employer and a college over a school year. You will gain the equivalent of a Higher
Modern Apprenticeships are where you learn on the job, get paid and work towards a qualification
Graduate Apprenticeships are where you learn on the job, get paid and work towards a degree level qualification

College courses in Scotland

Higher National Certificates (HNCs) are work-related courses that take one year (full-time) to complete. They are a great first step into higher education
Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) are work-related courses, that usually take two years (full-time) to complete
Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQ) are work-based qualifications. Evidence is collected from your own work while on the job and submitted. No exams are included

University courses in Scotland

Undergraduate courses are usually three to four years studying full time with a university. College options to study are also available
Postgraduate courses are a higher level than undergraduate courses and take one to two years to complete
PhDs are higher qualifications still and usually take four years to complete

Explore what university course you should study with UCAS.

Find out more about apprenticeships.

Other training programmes

There are professional associations that run a range of training programmes, these include:

What we offer at Historic Environment Scotland

All of our opportunities are advertised on the Historic Environment Scotland recruitment webpages when they are available.

We recommend signing up for recruitment alerts and to the Engine Shed newsletter so you’re first to hear about our opportunities.

We deliver nationally recognised courses, including stonemasonry and repair of traditional buildings, at our skills training centres in Elgin and Stirling.

Modern Apprenticeships

We offer various apprenticeships opportunities every year, many of them related to building conservation. In Elgin and Stirling, we run two stonemasonry training centres and are responsible for the training of local stonemason apprentices. We also employ apprentices in joinery, gardening, painting & decorating and electrical installation.

Conservation Trainee Programme

We offer opportunities for people to join us as a trainee and learn about specific fields of building conservation. As a trainee at Historic Environment Scotland you are employed and can work with teams across our organisation.

We annually recruit our trainees who work and learn together throughout their time with us. Trainees work with a mentor who helps them work towards their own CPD goals.

Craft Fellowship Programme

Our programme aims to support the traditional skills capacity across Scotland. Craft fellows are hosted and trained by master craftspeople throughout Scotland. Some of the traditional skills that our craft fellows have trained in are blacksmithing, stone carving, milling, boatbuilding and quarrying.

If you are interested in learning more about hosting a craft fellow, please contact us at traditionalskills@hes.scot

MSc in Technical Building Conservation

Our new Master of Science degree and Postgraduate Diploma has been developed to fill a gap in practical conservation training in Scotland. Graduates, active professionals and experienced building practitioners looking to further their understanding of current conservation principles and practices.

To find out more about our MSC, contact our course co-ordinator Gordon Urquhart: gordon.urquhart@hes.scot

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Professions in building conservation

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Tips for career planning in building conservation

Tips for career planning in building conservation

Learning doesn't stop after school, college or university. Learning will remain a constant throughout your life and career. So finding ways you enjoy learning and building habits that work for you is important. This is often referred to as Continual Professional Development, CPD for short.

Record and share your work

As you build your experience and skills, it is important to remember to record and share them in an engaging way. With many creative and craft roles, having a visual portfolio is a good way to share your work, this could be a video showreel, a selection of photos or printed technical drawings.

With other types of roles, you can showcase your achievements with a series of reflective blogs or project case studies. This means you can easily share the value of your work at future interviews and can help to make you stand out when applying to jobs. Even creating a simple CPD log will help you visualise how your learning is progressing.

Build your network

To succeed in the building conservation sector, it helps to build a network of people you can call on for help and advice. You can do this in person by getting to know people at conferences, at work or when volunteering alongside others. Network online by engaging with groups and discussions that reflect your interests.

Look out for learning opportunities

CPD is an important part of any career in building conservation. So look out for opportunities that exist with more formal training courses and workshops, and with self-directed study on e-learning courses, webinars and structured reading.

Opportunities to get involved in building conservation

There are lots of ways to take that first step. If you’re hoping to find out more, or try something new, here are some ways to consider doing this:

look for outreach programmes from organisations like Historic Environment Scotland, the Scottish Traditional Building Forum, Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and the Heritage Trust Network
volunteering with your local heritage organisation or building preservation trust can be a great way to gain experience and build confidence
attend a short course or event with the organisation you would like to know more about. For example the Summer School at the Engine Shed is a great introduction to traditional skills
organise your school work experience or student placement at your local heritage organisation