'At risk' register to highlight heritage skills at risk of dying out

Conservationists have warned there is a growing shortage of people with traditional heritage skills.

A new register highlighting the skills most at risk of dying out is being developed by experts at Historic Environment Scotland (HES) and the Institute of Conservation (Icon).

They hope the Heritage Skills At Risk Register will help keep thatching, traditional stained and leaded glass making, architectural blacksmithing, and stonemasonry alive.

Demand for such skills is growing rapidly, partly because of the urgent need to retrofit historic buildings to help meet national net zero targets.

However, there is a lack of training opportunities and low awareness about them being viable career options.

There are currently fewer than ten trained thatchers in Scotland, with only five Icon-registered stained-glass conservators, 20 architectural blacksmiths with traditional forge skills, and fewer than 300 trained stonemasons.

Craig Easton, Historic Environment Scotland craft fellow blacksmith | Rob McDougall

The initiative comes as a YouGov poll commissioned by HES found the majority of Scots (78 per cent) think it is important that more people learn the skills required to preserve the historic environment. Similarly, the survey found that 82 per cent think it is important that there is adequate training provision.

Asked which traditional skills they would consider learning themselves, 47 per cent said historic stained glass making, 33 per cent said stonemasonry, 32 per cent said blacksmithing, and 20 per cent said thatching.

Dr David Mitchell, Director of Cultural Assets at HES, said: “We have been sounding the alarm on Scotland’s heritage skills shortage for some time and it is now reaching a critical point.

“The Heritage Skills At Risk Register is a proactive measure to help address this crisis, and we urge other organisations to contribute to it so we can collaboratively build a comprehensive national picture of where skills are needed.

“With demand for heritage skills increasing rapidly, we cannot afford to delay. We must significantly increase training opportunities to ensure our traditional and historic buildings are maintained for future generations.

“We need a concerted effort to attract young people into the sector from schools, colleges and universities, as well as encouraging skilled workers and career changers to consider this vital field.”

Emma Jhita, chief executive at the Institute of Conservation, said: “The conservation profession relies on a relatively small pool of highly skilled conservator-restorers.

“While Icon's membership represents expertise across more than 150 material practices, challenges within the education sector and a vanishingly small number of professionals in some areas of practice mean that skills—many of which have taken years to develop—exist on a knife edge.”

Around 71 per cent of housing built before 1919 in Scotland is in need of critical repairs, with an estimated 10,000 new jobs needed over the next decade to maintain and adapt such properties.

A survey conducted by HES in 2023 revealed that more than two thirds of employers (68 per cent) anticipate a skills shortage by 2028.