Mick Teale, studying masonry at college in York, at work on Byland Abbey. Courtesy English Heritage

The future of five million pre-1919 buildings in England could be at risk because most of the workforce undertaking repair and maintenance work does not possess all the skills required to do the job properly.

That’s according to two reports by the National Heritage Training Group (NHTG) and backed by Construction Skills and English Heritage. The reports released on April 29 2008 highlight serious skills and knowledge gaps affecting specialist workers and building professionals working in the built heritage sector.

At a time of soaring demand for maintenance work on historic buildings, the reports say the skills shortage threatens the future of the nation’s built heritage – despite the shortage of skilled craftspeople having been greatly reduced since the first NHTG report in 2005.

“We may be reversing a trend but clearly there is still lots to do to make sure the quality of work is maintained,” said Bill Martin, Director of Conservation at English Heritage.

“These skills issues affect not just listed buildings, but the whole swathe of undesignated and locally important heritage and conservation areas that form an integral part of the historic environment.”

A thatcher at work in Sussex. Photo: Richard Moss © 24 Hour Museum

The reports were launched at the Prince of Wales' Foundation for the Built Environment on Tuesday April 29 2008 and highlight a number of alarming statistics suggesting that over two-thirds of the work on historic buildings, of which 67% is for private home-owners, is being carried out by those without the right skills and materials.

Traditional building craft trades vary from thatchers, stonemasons and experts with wattle and daub buildings to bricklayers, carpenters and painters and decorators – all of whom need special skills to understand how to use the appropriate materials and techniques relevant to different types of historic building.

Similarly, with the gatekeepers of the sector – the half million architects, engineers, surveyors, conservation officers and other professionals working in the UK - only 507 are building conservation-accredited.

This effectively equates to one accredited surveyor for every 85,000 traditional buildings, and only one engineer with relevant conservation experience for every 276,000 pre-1919 structures. The reports also found that new recruits may be ill-equipped to replace experienced professionals approaching retirement, creating a vacuum in this part of the industry.

Anne Sowden, glass conservator at work in the Royal Pavilion Brighton. © 24 Hour Museum

“Many of the people undertaking repair and maintenance work on pre-1919 buildings need upskilling to guarantee that tasks are completed to the highest possible standard and England’s iconic and more humble buildings are not spoilt,” said Peter Lobban, Chief Executive of ConstructionSkills.

“To address this issue, we have developed a variety of flexible on-site training schemes and new heritage qualifications.”

The National Heritage Training Group and its partners will now be investing £1 million to help reduce the skills gap, by spending on initiatives including raising awareness of career opportunities, encouraging up-take of qualifications such as the Heritage Skills NVQ Level 3 and a Heritage Apprenticeship Programme, mentoring programmes and the expansion of National Training Academies.

For further information about the National Heritage Training Group, see: www.nhtg.org.uk