Heritage Careers Week

Heritage Careers Week is the Scottish heritage sector’s annual careers week. This initiative is led by employers and aimed at raising awareness of the wide range of careers in the historic environment. It offers engaging activities to inspire people to consider a career in the historic environment and supports efforts to improve access and diversity in the sector. 

Heritage Careers Week takes place in October each year. Throughout the week, employers work with Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) regional groups and local schools to deliver a range of in person and online activity open to families and schools. Heritage organisations also work with employers to deliver activity for everyone from young people just starting out, to people looking for a change in career or to get back into work.

Further information about the week’s dates, as well as an updated list of in person and online events can be found in the Heritage Careers Week Padlet. 

As part of Heritage Careers Week, DYW Live offers a programme of online activity. Delivered via e-Sgoil, these activities are designed to enhance classroom and at-home learning. All sessions are led by employers and include a mix of live interactive sessions, presentations, behind the scenes content, Q&As and employer panels.  

You can watch previous activities  on e-Sgoil’s website: 

2025 archive 2024 archive

A wide range of in-person activity is offered during the week at venues across Scotland. Led by employers, these activities are open to families, the wider public, or arranged directly with local schools. 

In previous years, in-person activity has included:

• Skills tasters where attendees can try their hand at a variety of skills like stonemasonry, thatching, blacksmithing, working with stained glass, archaeological and heritage science, digital documentation and much more.

• Employability tours to get a behind the scenes at local employers’ places of work and better understand their skills.

• Talks from employers at school to learn more about what people do in their day to day.

• Careers fairs and other networking events to meet employers.

• Skills demonstrations to see and learn more about what skills are needed in heritage careers while asking any questions you may have!

Activities vary every year and depend on employer availability and capacity. 

We would like to encourage educators, carers and young people to engage with heritage careers all year round. 

That’s why we have created a suite of resources to help you whether you are looking for different ways of introducing discussions around heritage careers, want suggested activities, need links to career resources, or you want to read more about a range of heritage job profiles.  

Download our HCW Educator Toolkit 

See our heritage careers profiles

If you are an employer working in heritage and you would like to engage with schools and young people, Heritage Careers Week is the perfect opportunity! 

We know the heritage sector is bursting with a wide variety of talents, skills and specialisms, so want young people to hear from all of us; from architects to tour guides, digital imaging specialists to stonemasons, and archivists to metal conservators. Whether you’re a sole trader, work in a large organisation or are based in a charity, you can all spotlight heritage careers. 

There are many ways to get involved in the week, from a social media post to in-person activities, including but not limited to: 

• Practical demonstrations of your work 

• Skills tasters and supervising hands-on activities 

• Taking part in live panels and Q&As 

• Speed networking 

• School visits  

• Behind the scenes and workshop tours  

You can engage with Heritage Careers Week through your own social media by sharing your story and using #HeritageCareersWeek. Contact us for social media templates.

To learn more about the different ways to get involved, the Employers Toolkit for Heritage Careers Week is a practical guide designed to help heritage organisations interact with young people and promote careers in the heritage sector. It provides a range of resources, including suggested activities, social media templates, and guidance on hosting events or workplace visits.  

Download the Employers Toolkit 

If you want to get involved in the week or you would like to discuss ideas, or to learn more about Heritage Careers Week, email skills@hes.scot. 

You can also connect with other key organisations through the DYW marketplace for employers.