England’s first ever sector skills action plan has been launched by DBR and Historic Environment Skills Forum
DBR and Historic Environment Skills Forum have launched the Historic Environment Skills and Careers Action Plan for England (HESCAPE), the first-ever sector skills action plan in England aimed at heritage construction.
The report is the result of a year and a half of research through the Historic Environment Skills Forum.
Many contributed to the skills action plan
The Skills Forum consists of more than 170 members, all of which contributed something to the study. DBR contributed the most, giving a lot of knowledge on skills shortages and recruitment challenges.
The resulting skills action plan has a list of things that should be made a priority for action in order to avoid a skills crisis. This list includes:
- Enhancing retrofit training
- Securing resources for career entry opportunities
- Piloting a shared apprenticeship programme for heritage
- Embedding heritage into mainstream education courses
It also lists the skills that need the most attention:
- Climate change retrofit skills
- Plastering and carpentery/joinery
- Post-excavation specialist skills
- Industrial heritage conservation skills
- Skills to manage change in historic environment
The skills action plan outlines methods for tackling these issues and skills.
The skills shortage needs addressing
Adrian Attwood ACR, DBR’s executive director, said: “This work is vital to ensure we are building a resilient workforce with the right skills to meet both current and future demands. As the sector evolves, having a strategic approach like HESCAPE will help us address the key challenges head-on, ensuring that our workforce is equipped to safeguard and maintain England’s historic environment.”
Phil Pollard, heritage career pathways manager at Historic England, and chair of the Skills Forum, said: “We are proud to be leading and supporting the heritage sector in addressing the skills challenge we face. Collaboration between business, professional bodies and national heritage organisations is vital for us to achieve real impact, and the HESCAPE action plan provides a prioritised strategy for delivering this.”
