The project will create the Heritage Skills At Risk Register which will enable the identification, assessment and classification of skills such as thatching, traditional stained and leaded glass making, architectural blacksmithing, and stonemasonry.

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 serious lack of training opportunities for people who want to learn these skills 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.

Through the development of the Heritage Skills At Risk Register, HES and Icon aim to start a national conversation about the issue and encourage other organisations to highlight skills with similar shortages so they can be addressed. Announced during Scottish Apprenticeship Week (3 - 7 March), the initiative also highlights the lack of training facilities where people can learn heritage skills.

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

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

HES will work with Icon and other partners through the heritage sector’s Skills Investment Plan to identify the skills most at risk. This follows in the footsteps of the UK-wide initiative to identify and track endangered skills through the Heritage Crafts Red List, and will look to quantify the practitioners working in Scotland responsible for the built environment.

HES is currently the largest stonemasonry trainer in Scotland, with the City of Glasgow College the only other place that people can learn this traditional craft. Of the 49 key traditional building skills defined by HES, only 6% have formal training provision in place, 50% have no informal training provision in place and the initial suggestion is 49% are at high risk of being lost and 41% are at risk.

There is no Modern Apprenticeship in roof slating and tiling provision north of Arbroath, there is no architectural blacksmith training at all in Scotland, and the knowledge and skills required to properly repair and maintain existing traditional buildings are often missing from available training courses. HES has two skills training centres in Elgin and Stirling, and also helps people learn on-the-job while earning a wage by offering Apprenticeships, Traineeships, and Craft Fellowships.

Scotland needs to scale up its training opportunities in heritage skills as demand is rising rapidly due to the need to repair and retrofit traditional buildings, and factors such as climate change exacerbating existing problems. Around 71% of traditionally built housing 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%) anticipate a skills shortage by 2028.

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. Traditional skills are not just about conserving the past; they are crucial to Scotland’s future, particularly in our efforts to achieve net zero. With approximately one in five homes in Scotland being built before 1919, these skills will play a pivotal role in our journey towards a sustainable future.”

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.

“Urgent action is needed to address these challenges. Icon is delighted to be collaborating with HES in developing the Heritage Skills at Risk Framework—an essential initiative to highlight the skills most at risk, bring together stakeholders, and ensure that strategies are put in place to safeguard the future of our shared heritage.”