Historic Environment Scotland marks 30 years of Craft Fellowships

The event, held on Friday 25 September 2026 at the Engine Shed in Stirling, marked 30 years of HES Craft Fellowships and showcased the work of participants in the organisation’s Craft Your Career programme, which is helping create routes into traditional building and conservation careers.

The event celebrated the successes of HES’s skills training programmes at a time when Scotland faces acute shortages in traditional heritage skills, with demand rapidly growing for the expertise needed to repair, maintain and sensitively adapt older buildings for the future.

As the need for this skilled work grows, training routes into specialist roles remain limited. HES has previously highlighted that Scotland has fewer than ten trained thatchers, five Icon-registered stained-glass conservators, around 20 architectural blacksmiths with traditional forge skills and fewer than 300 trained stonemasons.

HES’s Craft Your Career programme is helping respond to this challenge by creating clear pathways into heritage careers, from engagement with schools and pre-apprenticeships through to Modern Apprenticeships, Craft Fellowships and specialist Traineeships. The programme provides employment, helps develop employability skills and offers the opportunity to gain a qualification where applicable. It is supporting 15 Modern Apprenticeships over a period of four years, alongside an average of around 10 trainee positions and eight Craft Fellowships each year.

During the event, current participants showcased the projects they have been working on, while former participants reflected on how specialist training had helped them progress into heritage careers. Partner organisations also outlined the benefits of hosting learners and the importance of building skills capacity across the sector.Steve Uphill, Interim Chief Executive of HES, said: “Scotland’s historic buildings can only be cared for if we have the people with the knowledge and practical skills to look after them.

“At a time of acute shortages, we need to maintain the skills we have, develop new talent and make it easier for people to realise a future career in the historic environment.

“That’s why we are working with partners across Scotland to strengthen skills provision, deliver actions of the Skills Investment Plan for the sector and identify heritage skills at risk before they are lost. The Centre of Excellence for Canals and Traditional Skills at Lock 16 in Falkirk, being delivered in partnership with Scottish Canals, will create even more opportunities for training, volunteering and employment, helping to build the skilled workforce that Scotland needs for the future.

“Events like this are important for recognising the talent and dedication of our new generation of craftspeople; celebrating the commitment of the mentors, supervisors and trainers who have shared their knowledge and experience to help them develop; the funders who make this work possible, and acknowledging the vital contribution this makes to safeguarding Scotland’s heritage.”

Minister for Innovation, Technology and Tertiary Education Alyn Smith said: “This event highlights the vital role traditional skills will play in Scotland’s future. By celebrating the diverse work of trainees and craftspeople, it shows how these skills support the conservation of Scotland’s historic environment, sustainable construction, green jobs, and local communities.

“With shortages in skills such as thatching, stonemasonry and blacksmithing, programmes like Craft Your Career are vital to building the workforce Scotland needs, inspiring young people and career changers while passing on valuable knowledge to future generations. I want to congratulate everyone involved, and thank HES and its partners, 30 years on from the Craft Fellowships’ launch.”

HES will be taking part in Heritage Careers Week, which takes place Monday 5 to Friday 9 October 2026, shining a spotlight on the diverse and rewarding careers that help care for, protect and celebrate Scotland’s heritage. For more information on how to get involved, visit the HES website.