Host organisation: Historic Environment Scotland
Project title: Understanding Traditional Skills Provision in Further and Higher Education in Scotland
Project description

The effective and appropriate conservation of Scotland’s historic environment is key to unlocking the economic and societal benefits that it produces. But the repair and maintenance of the built historic environment requires key skills. Stonemasonry, for instance, is vital both to maintaining the fabric of many of Scotland’s buildings, and to supporting deep retrofit interventions to improve heat retention and energy efficiency. However, traditional skills such as stonemasonry have declined over the years owing to the adoption of new construction methods and a decrease in training provision, and Scotland now faces nation-wide difficulties in accessing qualified stonemasons. This means that building owners struggle to find the right skills to undertake repair and maintenance work, and that conservation projects face high costs or long delivery times. In some cases, it has also resulted in inappropriate repair work. These issues are not specific to stonemasonry, however, and apply across a range of traditional building skills, including traditional roofing, leadwork, joinery, and appropriate insulating techniques.

This project will support ongoing sector work to understand and improve provision of key heritage skills, by helping HES to scope where and how traditional skills are being taught in further and higher education. FE and HE courses are a potentially vital route for providing the skills we need in the heritage sector, but we don’t currently have a good understanding of where these skills might be taught as part of more general courses. For instance, do mainstream construction courses teach graduates about traditional materials and building techniques, and to what depth? The project will start to map such provision and help us to start building a picture of whether and how traditional skills are be embedded across Scotland’s FE and HE landscape.

Main Objectives

  • Conduct a literature review on the current skills provision landscape in Scotland, with an emphasis on construction
  • Using existing HES data and publicly available data sources from FE and HE, map where and how traditional building skills are being taught at HE and FE level
  • If time allows, interview a small selection of FE and HE course leads to refine and contextualise the data
  • Produce a report and data set summarising the findings and suggesting future research angles
Outputs
  • Written report
  • Data sheet outlining training provision identified through the study – this would follow models already created for other sector skills areas such as planning and surveying
  • A presentation to HES staff and key sector partners
Location
We anticipate the internship taking place remotely. However, there will be opportunity for in-person meetings, and potentially site visits if these can be arranged.
Benefits to the researcher

The intern will benefit from the project by actively helping to understand and shape delivery of a national skills strategy, and by learning to apply their research skills within an applied situation. They will gain insight into the work of both HES and the wider historic environment sector, and gain understanding and contacts within Scotland’s skills development landscape. For applicants without previous experience of conducting interviews, the project also offers a chance to develop that skill.

Key relationships

The researcher will work within the Strategy and Policy team at HES, and work principally with the team co-ordinating delivery of the Sector Skills Investment Plan. They will also work with HES colleagues working to promote the uptake and transmission of traditional skills, and build relationships with sector support and training bodies.

Timescale

Start date (or must start by): Flexible

End date (or must end by): Flexible

Work structure: Flexible

Person specification

A1. Knowledge Base
  • Essential: Research methods – Practical application; Information seeking; Information literacy and management.
A2. Cognitive Abilities
  • Essential: Analysing; Synthesising; Critical thinking; Evaluating; Problem Solving.
A3. Creativity
  • Essential: Inquiring minds; Intellectual insight; Innovation; Argument construction; Intellectual risk.
B1. Personal qualities
  • Essential: Enthusiasm; Perseverance; Integrity; Self-confidence; Self-reflection; Responsibility.
B2. Self management
  • Essential: Preparation and prioritisation; Commitment to research; Time management; Responsiveness to change; Work-life balance.
B3. Professional & career development
  • Essential: Networking.
C1. Professional conduct
  • Essential: Health and Safety; Ethics, principles and sustainability; Appropriate practice; Respect and confidentiality; Attribution and co-authorship.
C2. Research management
  • Essential:  Project planning and delivery.
D1. Working with others
  • Essential: Collegiality; Team working; Collaboration.
D2. Communication & dissemination
  • Essential: Communication methods.
D3. Engagement & impact
  • Desirable: Policy.

First published: 9 October 2025

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