1 Overview
What is the Skills Investment Plan?
The Skills Investment Plan for the Historic Environment is a sector-wide skills strategy that aims to ensure that Scotland has the skills it needs to promote, manage and protect our historic environment.
Read the Skills Investment PlanEleven areas of focus have been identified as being needed to develop a sustainable skills system:
- Securing sustainable resources
- Strong sector leadership
- Collaboration and alignment
- Data informed decision making and reporting
- Growing ‘brand heritage’
- Stabilising, maintaining and growing specialist technical skills
- Accreditation and standards
- Attracting future talent and developing inclusive progressive pathways
- Accessibility of CPD
- Improving digital literacy, application and solutions
- Skills to address the climate crisis
What are the Skills Investment Plan’s priorities?
The strategy has three priorities which the plan will work to deliver up to 2029:
Priority 1: Growing Provision and Building Capacity
Priority 2: Attracting Future Talent and Improving Access
Priority 3: Fostering Innovation
What are the Skills Investment Plan’s work areas?
- Archaeology
- Architecture, engineering, planning, surveying in a heritage context and with a conservation approach
- Archives and libraries
- Conservation art and artefacts
- Heritage science
- Heritage tourism
- Historic landscapes and gardens
- Industrial heritage
- Museums and galleries
- Traditional building skills and materials
Please contact us if you would like to be involved in this work or for more information on the Skills Investment Plan.
2 Growing provision and building capacity
There is a clear need for specialist skills across our sector to grow the supply of skilled contractors and craftspeople. To meet the needs of the sector and support its growth, the delivery of education, skills and training needs to be flexible, multi-faceted, and focus on skills and knowledge sharing across the workforce, including volunteers.
How will we achieve this priority?
| Action 1 | Develop a framework for succession planning and knowledge sharing. |
| Action 2 | Align, develop, and accredit progressive CPD provision considering regional accessibility. |
| Action 3 | Build conservation awareness in key stakeholders. |
| Action 4 | Build capacity in the sector to deliver training. |
| Action 5 | Support sustainable organisations. |
Whithorn-MAP
The Trust piloted a well-received annual school offering field skills training for all abilities and is working on further phases of development. Image © The Whithorn Trust
Whithorn and Machars Archaeology Project3 Attracting future talent and improving access
Developing a strong pipeline of talent and ensuring that the future workforce has the right knowledge and skills for working in the historic environment sector is vital.
Developing a strong pipeline of talent and ensuring that the future workforce has the right knowledge and skills for working in the historic environment sector is vital. In 2023 we undertook a survey which highlighted that 41% of employers found attracting future talent extremely challenging and 68% anticipated skills shortages in the next 5 years.
Working with key organisations in the heritage sector, career influencers and partners, we aim to increase awareness of career opportunities in the sector, encourage more people to consider a career in the historic environment sector, and enable more people to gain valuable work and employability skills. The development of employability opportunities supports the gaining of skills that could be the start of a fulfilling career or business, while helping to care for Scotland’s heritage and addressing important challenges in our communities.
How will we achieve this priority?
| Action 1 | Promote the sector as an attractive place to work |
| Action 2 | Create recognised pathways into and across the sector for all |
| Action 3 | Create employability opportunities to support those furthest from the workforce |
Spotlight: Heritage Careers Week
Since 2024, a group of heritage and education organisations have worked to deliver a national campaign aimed at inspiring young people to consider careers in the heritage sector. Heritage Careers Week takes place on the last week of October and it combines in person activities with an online presence and virtual live lessons.
Careers Unpacked
Careers Unpacked provides you with tools to explore heritage careers, make informed career choices, and discover a variety of career pathways.
Find out morePlease contact us if you would like to be involved in this work or for more information on the Skills Investment Plan.
4 Fostering innovation
The consultation for the SIP highlighted the need for innovation to support net zero mitigation and adaptation, nurturing digital literacy and innovation and ensuring that the latest research and best practice can be used to benefit the sector through skills outputs.
There is currently a divide between the level of knowledge, understanding and skills application within net zero and digital skills organisations have. This divide will become increasingly apparent as technology continues to become even more important and sophisticated as we approach Scotland’s target date for net zero emissions in 2045.
How will we achieve this priority?
| Action 1 | Building skills to support net-zero mitigation, adaption, and sustainability |
| Action 2 | Fostering digital literacy and digital innovation |
| Action 3 | Creating skills outputs from research outcomes |
Spotlight: Energy Efficiency Measures for Older and Traditional Buildings
Historic Environment Scotland developed resources and capacity to deliver the course, Level 3 Award in Energy Efficiency Measures for Older and Traditional Buildings. The course provides learners with the knowledge on assessing, designing and implementing energy-efficient solutions for older and traditional buildings. It upskills professionals working in architecture, conservation, construction, energy and environment, as well as other related films.
The Engine Shed offers a variety of training and advice around energy efficiency and building conservation. Visit the Engine Shed website for more information on their course dates, events and learning opportunities.
Please contact us if you would like to be involved in this work or for more information on the Skills Investment Plan.
5 Governance and delivery
Skills and Expertise Group
The Skills and Expertise Group is an industry led group which oversees the delivery of the SIP. The group meets biannually and provides advice, support, monitoring and advocacy to enable the delivery of the Skills Investment.
Read the Skills and Expertise Group minutes.
Monitoring and reporting
To report on the delivery of the strategy and identify areas of focus, the Skills Investment Plan Team monitor activity and the health of skills and provision in the heritage sector. We provide regular progress updates to the Skills and Expertise Group for review and advice on any areas of concern or need for a change of focus. Monitoring includes case studies and quantitative data which inform annual progress reports and the strategy’s data baseline.
Read the Year One Report Download SIP Year One DataImplementing Action Plans
Through sector consultation with partners and key organisations, we have developed skills profiles and action plans for each one of the strategy’s pillars. Working together, we have identified steps for each of the activities in the action plans. Delivery mechanisms to oversee the delivery of the action plans are being set up.
Read the skills plans and the Skills Investment PlanFor more information on the delivery groups or the Skills Investment Plan, contact the Skills Team at skills@hes.scot.