Looking after and opening up heritage requires an extraordinary range of skills, from biological recording to blacksmithing, volunteer management to boat building. Many of these skills are scarce, which is why we at the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) encourage the projects we support to offer training opportunities.
All heritage projects, big and small, have the potential to provide some form of training. It could be teaching volunteers how to welcome visitors or a course for building contractors in using lime plaster. In this issue of Heritage focus, we take a look at the training that different kinds of projects have provided.
Training helps people to gain experience, confidence, and skills that are often formally recognised. It’s good news for your project, which will benefit from more highly trained volunteers and staff. And having enough people with the right skills will help to sustain our heritage, making sure that it’s properly looked after. With some planning, training opportunities aren’t difficult to set up.