This apprenticeship standard has been approved for delivery by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. However, starts on the apprenticeship will only be possible once a suitable end-point assessment organisation (EPAO) has obtained Ofqual recognition. Once the EPAO has obtained Ofqual recognition, funding for apprentice starts will be permitted and this message will be removed.
This occupation is found in the cultural, religious, educational, craft/musical instrument making sectors and within entertainment/public venues and domestic settings. Employers vary from micro businesses to SMEs that will often be engaged in contract work, either directly with the customer or with others throughout the trade or sector.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to use skills and labour for the bespoke fabrication and/or restoration of pipe organs and/or their constituent components. This includes tuning of pipe organs, re-leathering of bellows, restoring soundboards, working from CAD drawings, polishing, staining and finishing timber, working with hand tools and woodworking machinery, voicing of pipes, cleaning of pipework and working with electrical systems. Employees in this occupation will work both on-site and in workshops to complete their tasks. Occasionally they may need to work at heights and are sometimes required to work flexibly to accommodate public events on-site where the work is taking place.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with other organ builders, reporting to a senior organ builder or the principal builder. They will work closely with the staff members of the organisations they are contracted by e.g. members of the church.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for the design, manufacture and assembly of the components required in a pipe organ; in putting organ pipes onto speech and tuning them; and in the repair, maintenance and tuning of existing organs. They will be using materials such as wood, leather, tin and lead, and will be primarily working either in a workshop or on site.
Employees will be supervised in the workshop and on-site, working to drawings provided by the principal builder. Employees would also be expected to perform tuning and maintenance tasks unsupervised.
Organ Builders will be responsible for maintaining their tools and machinery and acting where required to maximise the efficiency of their tools/machinery.
When carrying out restoration or conservation activities, employees must be mindful that materials and techniques used are appropriate to the age and historical context of the instrument.
| Duty | KSBs |
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Duty 1 Undertake various woodworking and cabinet making tasks such as milling out of timber, finishing, staining and polishing |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K23 |
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Duty 2 Re-leather bellows and motors |
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Duty 3 Glue timbers and other materials |
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Duty 4 Maintain tools, blades and machinery |
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Duty 5 Restore soundboards and other organ parts |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K17 K18 |
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Duty 6 Manufacture small components, such as rollerboards and mechanical action parts |
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Duty 7 Manufacture medium-sized components such as concussions, tremulants and roller blinds |
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Duty 8 Work with hand tools and woodworking machinery to manufacture bespoke wooden parts where they are unable to be ordered |
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Duty 9 Clean pipework |
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Duty 10 Make and repair metal pipes |
K2 K3 K4 K7 K8 K9 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 |
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Duty 11 Make and repair wooden pipes |
K2 K3 K4 K5 K9 K10 K11 K13 K14 K15 |
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Duty 12 Tune pipe organs, keeping them in working order dependant on external factors such as temperature and humidity |
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Duty 13 Carry out repairs and maintenance as specified |
K1 K2 K3 K6 K9 K10 K11 K13 K16 K18 K19 K21 K22 |
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Duty 14 Create technical drawings to ensure all work is carried out to specification within the set tolerances, including wind systems, soundboards and casework |
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Duty 15 Write out cutting lists |
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Duty 16 Carry out fault finding of low voltage electrical systems |
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Duty 17 Undertake voicing and tonal finishing to achieve optimal tone |
K1: Health & safety legislation and regulations in the work environment (in particular those relating to working at height, heavy lifting and noise abatement)
Back to Duty
K2: The methods of safe handling of materials and work processes that ensure the safety of self and others
Back to Duty
K3: The safe and sustainable disposal of waste materials
Back to Duty
K4: Properties, uses and limitations of materials used in organ building
Back to Duty
K5: The respective advantages and disadvantages of softwoods and hardwoods
Back to Duty
K6: The purposes of different grades of leather
Back to Duty
K7: The tonal qualities of pipes made from different metal alloys
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K8: Techniques for protecting, moving, handling and storing resources
Back to Duty
K9: The key hand and machine tools and equipment used
Back to Duty
K10: The principles of how the tools and equipment work, are prepared, maintained and safely used (including how to sharpen chisels and hand planes; the different cutting actions of band, cross-cut and rip-saws)
Back to Duty
K11: How the material must be presented to the tools and equipment in each case
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K12: The importance of using the right combination of guards when creating mouldings using hand-held and fixed routers
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K13: Employer’s quality standards how to apply and monitor including methods of recording work.
Back to Duty
K14: The elements and principles applicable to the design of pipe organs
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K15: The historical and contemporary contexts of organ building
Back to Duty
K16: The different forms of action & mechanisms and how they are developed and applied
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K17: The key differences between rebuilding, restoration, conservation and reconstruction and their respective advantages and disadvantages
Back to Duty
K18: How to diagnose, analyse and assess for manufacturing and maintenance options
Back to Duty
K19: How to diagnose faults (such as electrical or pneumatic actions) during maintenance visits and plan for their repair
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K20: Relevant applied mathematics & science (including metric & imperial dimensions/measurements, geometry, lever law, musical theory, acoustics and electric circuitry)
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K21: The anticipation of risks and resolution of problems
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K22: Knowing when it is appropriate to seek advice from other craft specialists and experts
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K23: Technique for staining, polishing and finishing
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S1: Maintain correct standards of health and safety for self and for others, using safe working practices such as when handling heavy components
Back to Duty
S2: Prepare and maintain materials, tools and equipment appropriately and safely, always fitting guards to machines as required
Back to Duty
S3: Identify and minimise hazards and risks in the working environment, e.g. casting and soldering, or when treating timber with volatile compounds
Back to Duty
S4: Create and interpret technical specifications, drawings, and other written and verbal instructions (such as cutting lists, rollerboard layouts and soundboard plantings)
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S5: Identify and respond to problems appropriately (including testing and adjustment); seek advice and guidance when appropriate
Back to Duty
S6: Select and use the appropriate processes/techniques to undertake organ building tasks from inception to realisation
Back to Duty
S7: Select and use correct materials as required by the specific task
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S8: Select and use correct tools and equipment as required by the specific task
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S9: Construct timber components such as soundboards and wind trunking
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S10: Use leather to make pneumatic motors and hinges and gussets in bellows
Back to Duty
S11: Connect and test low-voltage electrical equipment
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S12: Make wooden pipework
Back to Duty
S13: Make metal pipework
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S14: Put pipes onto speech and tune them
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S15: Lay bearings for tuning
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S16: Put individual pipes and complete ranks back into tune
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S17: Identify and resolve action faults in existing instruments
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S18: Remove and dismantle components safely and systematically
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S19: Re-assemble components and test that everything is working properly
Back to Duty
S20: Select appropriate stain/polish for finishing woodwork
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S21: Applies quality assurance checks throughout the organ building process
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S22: Follows policies and procedures; has consistent attention to detail
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S23: Communicate and work effectively with others as part of a team
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B1: Takes ownership of work
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B2: Committed to continuous professional development
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B3: Acts in a professional manner. Be courteous, respectful and professional whether workshop or site-based
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B4: Team focussed and works effectively with colleagues and others
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B5: Accepts change and is adaptable to meet customer needs
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B6: Champions and promotes pipe organ building
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Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the End-Point Assessment. For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, the apprenticeship’s English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is an alternative to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL.
This standard aligns with the following professional recognition:
| Version | Change detail | Earliest start date | Latest start date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | End-point assessment plan, standard and funding band revised. | 07/06/2022 | Not set |
| 1.0 | Approved for delivery | 26/09/2017 | 06/06/2022 |
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