Further information on the following relevant to Building Conservation:
1. English Heritage – HELM
2. HLF - Bursary scheme
3. ConstructionSkills
1. English Heritage – HELM
Information and training to help those who make decisions about the historic environment
Established in 2004, Historic Environment Local Management is a partnership project led by English Heritage and supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs. The aim of the project is to share best practice and build capacity and confidence in those dealing with the historic environment. HELM provides and funds written information and training in a number of ways. The HELM website features case studies and policy statements produced by English Heritage, as well as guidance produced by English Heritage, HELM partners, Local Authorities, regional agencies and other key organisations.
Caring for the Historic Environment
Your involvement is vital to ensure the historic environment is a significant factor in all local authority policies and forward strategies. We hope that, by raising awareness among your colleagues, the HELM project will encourage better communication on development control and strategic decisions that impact on the historic environment.
HELM responds to the government’s reforms of the planning system. These include the forthcoming revision of PPGs 15 and 16 into a single Planning Policy Statement and the Heritage Protection Review where the option for a unified list is explored. At both local and national government levels, policy and procedures relating to historic buildings, buried archaeology and landscapes are becoming more closely connected.
‘Better understanding of heritage concerns by planners and better integration of heritage issues into mainstream planning [...] help to reduce the perception that caring for the heritage is a problem in planning’ Kate Clarke, Cultural Trends 43 & 44, 2001.
PPG 15 & 16 place the onus on the applicant to provide sufficient information on which to base informed decisions. These are applicable to sites, buildings and landscapes of potential historic/archaeological interest, whether or not they are designated. Early assessment enables conservation as well as commercial needs to influence the design of the proposed scheme.
Local Authority Practice and PPG15: Information and Effectiveness (Oxford Brookes UniversitySeptember 2000) states that action is needed to ensure that applications are accompanied by adequate conservation information on which to base planning decisions, in order to minimise delays.
The information required may vary from a good set of drawings/photographs to a full impact assessment report commissioned by a developer. Where appropriate, redesign to protect and/or developer-funded investigation, recording and analysis of historic assets may be secured through the planning process. An approved specification is necessary to ensure that reports contain the required information. Descriptions and illustrations within the report allow the author’s conclusions to be tested and decisions that are both informed and independent to be reached.
Data on archaeological and historic buildings research is vital to inform development control and conservation management decisions. 'Historic Environment Records' is the new term for SMR databases, indicating the move to include more information on standing buildings. Digital data on historic environment investigations, reports submitted as part of the planning process and the results of local research projects are stored by local Historic Environment Records, whilst nationally an index to these works is maintained by the National Monument Record.
The use of appraisal, characterisation, local lists, management plans, supplementary planning guidance and policy in local plans, etc. assist long term management of the historic environment, and inform developers and planners of the criteria against which applications will be judged.
Has your local authority got a Historic Environment Champion? If not, please consider whether your authority should approach one of its elected members who would be prepared act as an advocate for the historic environment.
We hope that this website will benefit you by providing a range of guidance and policy to assist you with the management and protection of archaeology, historic buildings and landscapes. Its use may also contribute to your own Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme by keeping up to date with technical guidance. This online resource includes case studies showing good practice across the country that could form the basis of training presentations given to others. We would welcome further case studies, particularly where effective conservation management solutions have been found.
Guidance and policy documents are available on this website in both text and PDF version when accessed through the five topic buttons on the top left: Regeneration & Design, Understanding & Recording, Liveability, Managing & Protecting and Funding. English Heritage documents can also be searched and downloaded as a PDF by using the Guidance Library. Visit the English Heritage website to find other guidance, reports and campaigns.
The HELM website has a list of guidance produced by local authorities, amenity groups and relevant bodies which can also be found using the Guidance Library. Case Studies may be searched for examples of good practice across the country.
HELM offers training for councillors and officers in local authorities and government agencies. The 06/07 HELM training programme will soon be made available on this website
This site is still in development and we will continue to update it with new literature. Feedback is welcomed: comments@helm.org.uk and you can receive news updates from HELM by registering on-line.
Use this section of the HELM website to improve your knowledge, obtain technical advice or find training activities near you.
HELMCourses
HELM offers training for councillors and officers in local authorities and government agencies. Seminars aim to identify the resources available to non-heritage professionals and to demonstrate how the benefits of the historic environment can help to achieve targets. Expert speakers explore regional priorities using local case studies.
English Heritage provides a range of courses aimed principally at the historic environment sector. These are usually delivered in partnership with other organisations at both national and regional levels. Professional Training in the Historic Environment short courses are offered in partnership with Oxford University Department of Continuing Education. Intended for historic environment practitioners and postgraduate students, these Courses are designed by English Heritage in association with the Archaeology Training Forum (ATF), the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) and the Institute of Field Archaeologists (IFA).
Related Courses
Historic environment training is available in a variety of formats to suit your needs. Courses are provided by a range of organisations including universities, professional institutions, the Workers Education Association and amenity societies.
Craft Skills
There is a shortage of practitioners skilled in the traditional crafts necessary to conserve and restore our historic buildings. The National Heritage Training Group (NHTG) is responsible for implementing a coherent strategy for training and skills provision in this sector.
2. HLF - Bursary scheme
About the Traditional Building Skills Bursary Scheme
The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded £900,000 to a partnership between English Heritage, National Trust, Cadw, ConstructionSkills and the National Heritage Training Group to establish and deliver a £1.2 million Traditional Building Skills Bursary Scheme throughout England and Wales over the next 4 years until 2010.
The scheme will address some of the currently recognised skills shortages and gaps within the traditional crafts and built heritage sector and to build diversity in the workforce.
The scheme offers to provide bursaries and facilitate work-based training placements (Bursary Placements) for eligible and successful applicants who are enthusiastic and committed to developing their skills in order to work in the built heritage sector in England and Wales.
Who is eligible?
To be considered for a Bursary Placement candidates must:
· be able to provide evidence of competence to the standard as set in the Placement Specification, · be committed to working in the heritage sector in England and Wales, · have eligibility to work in England and Wales, · have a UK bank or building society account into which the bursary can be paid, · demonstrate how they meet the Trainee specification (see below) Trainee Specification
To be successful at gaining an interview for a bursary Placement, the candidate’s application should clearly illustrate how they meet the following criteria. The interview will assess further the candidate’s suitability:
Essential
· be able to provide evidence of competence to the standard as set out in the Placement Specification, · an enthusiasm, commitment and passion to move into a career within the built heritage sector in England and Wales, · ability to absorb and apply new technical information · ability to work to required standards and to understand and use the appropriate methods, tools and applications, · take responsibility for professional development, · an enthusiasm and commitment to work towards gaining an NVQ Level 3 Heritage Skills, · good communications skills, · adaptable and flexible, with proven qualities as a strong team player, able to work closely with others and ability to work on one’s own initiative, · willingness to travel both within and outside the region of their Placement Provider organisation. Desirable:
· An NVQ qualification or equivalent in a craft relevant to the Placement, tp the standard as outlined in the Placement Specification, · Working in the built environment. Click here for more information about NVQs.
3. Construction Skills
Formerly known as the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), and subsequently CITB-ConstructionSkills, from 30 March 2007it will simply be known as ConstructionSkills.
Since becoming a Sector Skills Council three years ago, the organisation has made significant strides and improvements to the value and service it offers customers. It has become a simpler organisation, easier and faster to deal with and much closer to customers needs:
- In delivering improved safety and a better trained workforce.
- promoting a positive image of the industry, increasing the number of recruits and of apprentices completing their qualifications,
- Helping the industry to wield more influence, spot and respond to trends more effectively and achieve more than would be possible for individual companies.
- And at the same time, cutting bureaucracy to make ConstructionSkills quicker and simpler to deal with and easier for people to benefit from what the organisation offers.
It will still provide the same range of products and service as before – and indeed will be launching new ones – only now they will in future be re-branded.
The move to ConstructionSkills represents an exciting future and reflects the changes being made as an organisation.
Why the name change?
CITB-ConstructionSkills became a Sector Skills Council partner three years ago. Increasingly, more and more of the work it does is SSC work, underpinned by the levy. Being an SSC supported by the levy is good news for customers - who get the best of both worlds: ConstructionSkills can influence government policy and funding on behalf of the industry, while the levy enables it to deliver on the ground.
Why drop the 'CITB' from the name?
The move to ConstructionSkills, supported by the Industry Training Board (ITB) status, is not a change in direction, but the next step in an ongoing transition towards a more modern and ‘customer focused’ organisation coming about through a modernisation programme to improve efficiencies and effectiveness.
The only exception is the Levy/Grant activity, which is the one area where the organisation will still be known as CITB-ConstructionSkills in order to reflect the Industry Training Board (ITB) status and ring fence this activity for those employers in scope to the Industrial Training Act 1982.
How will the transition take place?
We have been using the ConstructionSkills logo for the last three years and it already appears on much literature. As for literature still displaying the CITB-Construction Skills logo, when these run out, the ConstructionSkills logo we will be used on new versions.
The web and email addresses are changing too. From April 2nd the web address will be www.cskills.org and will contain all information in the same format as it has been on www.citb-constructionskills.co.uk. The new address will run alongside the old address until July when the site at www.cskills.org will be completely re-launched, providing an improved online service to customers and employers. This means that there are still likely to be references to CITB-ConstructionSkills on the current website until the re-launch.
E-mail addresses will follow the format forename.surname@cskills.org, but old e-mail addresses will run in tandem for at least 3 months so there is no risk of any emails being lost.
What is the end aim?
The outlook for ConstructionSkills is to move as quickly as possible to finance all of its activities. These include promoting careers in construction, managing apprentices, training specialists and providing qualifications and certification services without needing support from the Levy. The aim is that it can pay out 100% of the levy in grants to employers.