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.

Key information

  1. Status: Approved for delivery (paused for starts)
  2. Reference: ST1105
  3. Version: 1.0
  4. Level: 5
  5. Typical duration to gateway: 24 months
  6. Typical EPA period: 5 months
  7. Maximum funding: £8000
  8. Route: Construction and the built environment
  9. Date updated: 27/10/2023
  10. Approved for delivery: 26 October 2023
  11. Lars code: 735
  12. EQA provider: Ofqual is the intended EQA provider
  13. Review: this apprenticeship will be reviewed in accordance with our change request policy.
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Details of the occupational standard

Occupation summary

This occupation is found in the historic environment, construction, building conservation and cultural heritage sectors.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to ensure the maintenance of heritage properties through construction projects that repair, restore, adapt, alter or retrofit historic buildings and heritage assets, doing so according to their significance and performance. Historic buildings and heritage assets are generally considered to include whole buildings, parts of buildings, ancillary structures, monuments, and other architectural features such as garden structures, walls and paving that were built before 1919, or those that are built using traditional methods and materials, including structures protected by legislation such as Listed Buildings, Scheduled Ancient Monuments and those within Conservation Areas. Heritage Construction Specialists oversee work related to the fabric of a building or structure and its internal and external features and settings. They combine practical construction skills with their knowledge of traditional materials, practices and the way each building performs holistically, to inform the conservation and construction techniques they use when managing and leading on historic building projects.

 The Heritage Construction Specialist is typically site-based, including outdoor working, working at height, and working away from home, including rural and remote locations, but normal duties also include workshop operations, office working and attendance at meetings with stakeholders, clients or colleagues. They will typically need to be able to drive.

An individual in this role might typically have a trade or profession, such as – but not exclusively – woodworker, bricklayer, stonemason, plasterer, metalworker or surveyor, and have specialist knowledge and experience of the requirements of working at heritage properties.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with a range of clients, colleagues and stakeholders in the public, private and third sectors, within organisations of any size. Heritage Construction Specialists might work alone or as a more senior member of a small team. They may oversee or coordinate other personnel or subcontractors and will sometimes work with other heritage professionals, such as a conservation officer or architect, to develop the detailed conservation solutions for adapting older buildings and structures.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for assessing the condition of historic and traditional structures; understanding the significance and history of the buildings and structures they work on; conserving and enhancing the fabric of a building or structures according to its significance, performance characteristics and condition; integration of new systems (for example electrical, mechanical) into heritage buildings; creating recommendations and construction work plans, contributing to the costing and conducting of construction work to appropriate professional and conservation standards; liaising with specialist contractors, stakeholders and clients; documenting their work to appropriate conservation standards; communicating their work to the public. They need to be able to work alone or as part of a team, and make decisions about work plans for themselves and others.

Typical job titles include:

Conservation surveyor Site agent (heritage) Site manager

Occupation duties

Duty KSBs

Duty 1 Work to the principles, philosophy and ethics of conservation to ensure best-practice on heritage construction projects.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 2 Engage in the selection and recommendation of appropriate materials and construction techniques for conservation, maintenance, repair, alteration and renovation of heritage assets.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 3 Assess the physical nature and condition of heritage assets and features in order to be able to engage in the selection and recommendation of appropriate materials and construction techniques for conservation, maintenance, repair, alteration and renovation of heritage assets.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 4 Understand the wider environmental and historic context of a heritage asset or traditional building to adapt the approach to recognise the impact this context has on construction work.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 5 Assess, and provide advice on, sustainability in the historic environment.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 6 Provide formal and informal oral and written advice and professional judgments to clients, colleagues, external stakeholders and others on heritage assets.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 7 Document work undertaken by keeping written and photographic records, and be able to draw or sketch to communicate understanding of a building feature or repair.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 8 Carry out practical tasks where appropriate in accordance with own skillset and the needs of a project.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 9 Ensure work practices comply with appropriate legal and contractual requirements.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 10 Assist architects, other specifiers and clients with the development of detailed design or specification on a construction project, within the context of that project.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 11 Provide oversight and manage or supervise staff, volunteers, external specialist contractors or others, review and monitor others’ work to technical standards.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 12 Ensure health and safety protocols are followed at all times.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 13 Raise awareness, appreciation and understanding of historic and traditional buildings, methods and materials and promote good conservation practice.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

KSBs

Knowledge

K1: Principles, philosophy and ethics of conservation for historic buildings, structures and settings. Back to Duty

K2: Statutory, quality and policy standards and legislation applicable to heritage construction work. Back to Duty

K3: Historic, archaeological, architectural and environmental context relevant to British historic building stock (built pre-1919). Back to Duty

K4: Principles of assessing the significance and condition of heritage property or asset, for example whole buildings, parts of buildings, ancillary structures, monuments, architectural features including garden structures, walls and paving. Back to Duty

K5: Traditional and historic construction materials, techniques and practices used to build heritage property or assets. Back to Duty

K6: Construction materials, techniques and practices used to repair, maintain, adapt, retrofit and conserve heritage property or assets. Back to Duty

K7: The performance of historic and traditional buildings, where this differs to modern buildings, and the impact this has on the selection of construction methods. Back to Duty

K8: Principles of risk assessment and impact mitigation of modern techniques, materials, practices and interventions on heritage projects. Back to Duty

K9: Principles of sustainability in the historic environment, including as climate change relates to it, and how this impacts repair, maintenance, retrofit, energy efficiency and conservation, of historic and traditional structures. Back to Duty

K10: Health and safety: law and obligations. Back to Duty

K11: Standard forms of construction contract and subcontract and contractual mechanisms as applied at various stages of the contract. The roles, responsibilities and duties of the contract administrator and the duties of the parties to the contract. Back to Duty

K12: Documentation required during heritage construction projects for example statements of significance, condition surveys and other heritage statements and specifications. Back to Duty

K13: Quantification and costing of construction work. Back to Duty

K14: The structure of teams who work on historic and traditional buildings, including specialists and designers, and how the heritage construction specialist interacts with these roles. Back to Duty

K15: The contribution that historic and traditional buildings and heritage construction can make to local, regional, national and community and cultural identities. Back to Duty

K16: Common issues, symptoms and warning signs of stress, anxiety and depression, including where to go for help and the resources available. Back to Duty

K17: Principles of designing heritage construction work programmes including risk assessment and time management. Back to Duty

K18: Principles of solving heritage construction problems. Back to Duty

K19: Principles of researching and developing new techniques and disseminating findings. Back to Duty

K20: Report writing techniques. IT applications for technical reporting. Back to Duty

K21: Verbal communication techniques. Back to Duty

K22: The Equality Act - requirements on organisations. Social inclusion practices. Reasonable adjustments to support accessibility. The impact of unconscious bias. Back to Duty

K23: Principles of leading people and managing the quality of their work. Back to Duty

K24: Digital technology in the industry: management information systems and equipment digital interfaces. Back to Duty

K25: Information technology. General data protection regulation (GDPR). Cyber security. Back to Duty

Skills

S1: Apply relevant statutory, quality and policy standards and legislation to the planning and execution of heritage construction work. Back to Duty

S2: Evaluate, select and recommend construction materials, techniques and practices used in heritage construction work. Back to Duty

S3: Assess the condition and significance of heritage property or asset and record findings. Back to Duty

S4: Apply sustainability principles, including energy efficiency and building performance, to the planning and execution of heritage construction work. Back to Duty

S5: Assess the risks of modern techniques, materials, practices and interventions on heritage projects, and mitigate the impact on current and future heritage construction works. Back to Duty

S6: Complete and maintain heritage project documentation and records. Back to Duty

S7: Communicate technical information to stakeholders using appropriate formats, for example photographs, drawings, sketches and digital formats. Back to Duty

S8: Design heritage construction work programmes, including costs, risk assessment and time management. Back to Duty

S9: Select and use procurement and contract forms. Back to Duty

S10: Identify and instruct specialist skills outside of own competence. Back to Duty

S11: Communicate verbally with stakeholders, specialists and clients. Back to Duty

S12: Raise awareness, appreciation and understanding of historic and traditional structures, promoting best-practice, including through public engagement activities. Back to Duty

S13: Lead people and manage the quality of their work for example staff, volunteers and external specialist contractors. Back to Duty

S14: Lead the development of new techniques through research and or dissemination of research. Back to Duty

S15: Solve problems based on an assessment of available evidence. Back to Duty

S16: Apply and promote policies and practices to support equity, diversity and inclusion. Back to Duty

S17: Use information technology and digital systems. Comply with cyber security. Back to Duty

Behaviours

B1: Act ethically in the completion of work. Back to Duty

B2: Committed to maintaining and enhancing competence of self and others, including to future generations, through Continued Professional Development (CPD). Back to Duty

B3: Collaborate with others, for example within teams, across disciplines and external stakeholders. Back to Duty

B4: Puts safety first for themselves and others ensuring compliance with health, safety, welfare, environmental and quality requirements and policies. Back to Duty

B5: Encourage a diverse and inclusive culture. Back to Duty

Qualifications

English and Maths

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.

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Employers involved in creating the standard: Historic England, National Trust, English Heritage, Churches Conservation Trust, House of Parliament Restoration & Renewal, Houghtons of York, Canal & Rivers Trust, Stonewest, Centre for Building Conservation Studies, Landmark Trust, DBR Ltd, Kierson Timber Restoration, Skillington Workshop Ltd, Owlsworth IJP, Burghley House Preservation Trust, Bridgett Conservation, Quadriga Contracts.

Version log

Version Change detail Earliest start date Latest start date
1.0 Approved for delivery 26/10/2023 Not set

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