The survey on heritage building skills will inform recommendations about how best to preserve and protect the UK’s historic buildings
Harlow Consulting is carrying out the building heritage skills survey on behalf of Historic England, exploring supply and demand of heritage building skills, to help identify skills gaps and shortages.
Construction companies that work on older buildings are invited to participate in the survey, which will be conducted between January and February 2024.
Around 1 in 5 UK buildings are considered heritage buildings
Older buildings need specialised skills and understanding for their on-going maintenance, repair, and restoration. It is also vital to understand how best to retrofit older buildings if the UK is to reduce carbon emissions and reach net zero.
“The skills needed to maintain, repair, adapt and retrofit England’s traditional buildings are specialist. This research project will help Historic England, and partners in the sector, to better understand where skills needs are most pressing, enabling effective and collaborative action to address these.” Tess Gale, sector resilience and skills director, Historic England.
Previous estimates suggest that retrofitting the UK’s historic buildings could reduce carbon emissions by five percent a year, and generate £35bn of economic output in the economy. A report commissioned by Historic England last year warned that if the skills shortage is not addressed, the UK could face a backlog of retrofit projects in the 2030’s and will risk losing some of its cultural landmarks if these building become uninhabitable.
People in relevant industries are encouraged to take part
Jennifer Brennan, director at Harlow Consulting, said: “This work will map the profile of the workforce and relevant training provision, identify skills gaps and shortages, and make recommendations about how best to preserve and protect our heritage building skills.”
Jennifer added: “We strongly encourage those working in this sector to take part in the survey. Their views are incredibly valuable and will help Historic England and their stakeholders understand what actions can be taken to support vital skills and training.”
You can register your interest in taking part here.
