The £471,000 grant over three years is being awarded under the Allchurches Trust’s new heritage funding stream, which launches in January 2019. It is aimed at building sustainable skills to care for the nation’s historic environment – both ecclesiastical and secular.
The Trust has already identified the projects it will support first under the scheme, which will be worth half a million pounds annually. These include an exciting initiative that will enable Historic England to create six new Historic Environment Advice Assistant heritage apprenticeships.
These apprentices will be trained and supported in researching and providing advice on a vast range of heritage assets; including historic buildings, landscapes, monuments, archaeological sites and battlefields.
The HEAA programme, along with HE apprenticeships in archaeology and conversation which Michael Ellis MP outlined at last week’s Heritage Alliance Day, will help to meet the rising demand for skilled heritage workers nationwide and to address the skills shortage fuelled by an ageing workforce and a lack of new entrants into the sector.