Craft technician

Key information

Reference: ST0919
Date updated: 01/10/2024
Level: 3
Route: Creative and design
Regulated occupation: No

This occupational standard has options. This document is currently showing the following option:

Details of the occupational standard

T-Levels logo T Levels focus on vocational skills and can help students into skilled employment, higher study or apprenticeships. Each T Level includes an in-depth industry placement that lasts at least 45 days. Students get valuable experience in the workplace; employers get early sight of the new talent in their industry.

Occupation summary

This occupation is found in a range of settings including specialist craft or creative businesses, design studios, production workshops. These may include theatre, film, restoration and conservation businesses, training establishments, cultural institutions, heritage sites, corporate businesses, and the natural environment. Employers are typically known to be micro businesses and SMEs. However, craft technicians can occasionally be found in larger organisations in the public, private and charity sectors, for example producing theatres. Craft technicians may also be freelancers or operate as sole traders once their skills and experience are sufficient.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to make, service, restore, conserve or realise individual items, these may be handmade or hand produced. They can be achieved working with a range of materials such as textiles, modulable and rigid materials, paper, glass, clay etc.

Craft technicians provide technical support to ensure new or existing items, are made or restored by hand. They are designed, developed, and created in line with company and client requirements. Increasingly, the integration of digital technologies across this sector will support production processes. While still retaining unique craft or skill qualities through hybrid manufactured and hand produced or handmade production.

Craft technicians must adhere to the organisation’s confidentiality requirements and understand basic copyrighting and intellectual property arrangements. Working with discretion, taking positive action in response to feedback, being solution focused, and maintaining awareness of the bigger picture. Including budget and broader resource constraints and environmental impacts and ways to reduce these, are essential to a craft technician approach.

This is a core and options apprenticeship standard. Apprentices will complete the core requirements, plus one option:

1. Ceramicist

2. Dye and print technician.

A ceramicist designs and delivers hand-crafted products and do so for customers, clients, public or private collections or the built or natural environment. Ceramicists are sometimes responsible for creating component parts of a product that the master craftsperson would use to finish the product.

Dye and print technicians undertake dyeing using a range of techniques, stencilling, screen printing and painting on a variety of materials. They may develop or match existing colour requirements or achieve a variety of effects. They work with articles or fabric which may include clothing, accessories, furniture. They work to designer briefs and undertake research to ensure exact and timely requirements are achieved.

In their daily work, craft technicians are expected to work collaboratively. This may include other designers and craft or skilled practitioners, customers, clients, wider team members for example administrators, distributors, retailers, suppliers, and external stakeholders. Craft technicians work to agreed deadlines often as part of a team. However, they are expected to work with autonomy once sufficient skill and knowledge is obtained. Whilst training, a craft technician may work alongside, and under the instruction of, a skilled and experienced practitioner, sometimes known as a master craftsperson.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for effective client communication, demonstrating sound project management and project delivery skills. They will be capable in the processes, materials, and tools used to create the specified products of the business they are employed by. Craft technicians will demonstrate a sound knowledge of sustainable practices including the sourcing, use, disposal, recycling and reuse of materials across their industry.

Craft technicians must maintain the workspace and its contents in line with the business’ standards and health and safety requirements. They might also assist with the storage and use of data, client and customer information, and ongoing ordering and control of stock.

Craft technicians would be expected to know how to work with a variety of customers and clients. They may also be expected to liaise with them throughout the making process to aid in any relevant item aftercare.

Typical job titles include:

Assistant maker Breakdown artist Ceramics technician Costume prop maker Craft technician Design assistant Dyer Junior craft practitioner Milliner Studio assistant Textile artist Workshop technician

Core occupation duties

Duty	KSBs
Duty 1 Make products or component parts of products by hand in line with the settings quality standards, confidentiality policies and intellectual property requirements.	K1 K2 K8 K18 K22 S1 S3 S5 S13 S16 B1 B2 B4 B5
Duty 2 Utilise technology as an enabler to handmake or hand produce items within social, cultural, economic, technological and environmental contexts impacting your chosen specialism.	K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K14 K21 S2 S3 S5 B1 B2 B4 B5
Duty 3 Follow agreed plans, designs or brief to aid the successful creation of a specified handmade or hand produced products within time and cost constraints.	K7 K9 S7 S9 S12 B4
Duty 4 Maintain equipment and the workspace, and store tools in line with the settings standards and health and safety requirements.	K8 K10 K12 K21 S4 S5 S6 B1
Duty 5 Research and develop sustainable production techniques, processes and the use of recycled and sustainable materials	K7 K20 S3 B2 B5
Duty 6 Manage expectations by maintaining regular communication and delivering effective project management, budget tracking, troubleshooting, project delivery and timekeeping.	K9 K13 K16 K17 S7 S8 S9 S11 B3 B4 B6
Duty 7 Order or recommend materials and tools in line with the settings procurement policies and processes. Following stock management procedures as needed to achieve value for money.	K10 K11 K12 K17 S8 S10 S11
Duty 8 Record and control materials, items, stock, products and suitably store these to maintain their fitness for use.	K10 K12 S4 S10 B1
Duty 9 Utilise technology to communicate, market and sell handmade or hand produced items effectively.	K14 K15 K17 K19 S11 B3 B6
Duty 10 Provide excellent and inclusive service and relationship management to a diverse range of customers, creative teams, clients and colleagues.	K9 K13 K16 K17 S11 B3 B6
Duty 11 Package present or handover products in line with the settings standards, procedures an customer, client or colleague requirements.	K15 K19 K20 S12 S14 B3 B6

Option duties

Ceramicist duties

Duty	KSBs
Duty 12 Make, service, restore, and or conserve ceramic items for customers, clients public or private collections.	K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K14 K23 K24 K25 K26 K27 K28 K29 K30 K31 K33 S1 S2 S3 S5 S15 S16 S17 S18 S19 S21 B1 B2 B4 B5
Duty 13 Manage the planning or design process for hand-made ceramic products.	K8 K9 K23 K27 K32 S7 S9 S15
Duty 14 Work with customers and clients to understand their requirements. Creating technical or other drawings and plans (by hand or digital) for the product as needed.	K9 K13 K17 K23 K32 K33 S7 S11 S15 S20 S21 B3 B4 B6
Duty 15 Create samples or prototypes to assist in the creation of hand-made ceramic products.	K14 K23 K24 K25 K26 K27 K28 K29 K30 K33 S1 S2 S3 S5 S15 S16 S17 S18 S19 S21 B1 B4 B5

Dye and print technician duties

Duty	KSBs
Duty 16 Assist with sampling and preparing to dye fabric, shoes and accessories. Paying particular attention to colour matching, in accordance with the requirements of the brief.	K34 K35 K36 K39 S22 S23 S27 S29
Duty 17 Carry out dyeing, stencilling, screen printing and painting to achieve a high-quality finish. Using a variety of material in accordance with the requirements of the brief.	K37 K38 K39 K40 K41 K42 S28 S30 S32
Duty 18 Break down material, textiles or accessories to achieve a variety of effects as required by the brief.	K43 K44 S26 S31
Duty 19 Assist with the planning process from receiving the original design concept to delivery of the end product.	K45 S24 S25 S33

KSBs

Knowledge

K1: Creative or craft industry: the impact on places, communities, and society, and importance to individuals. Back to Duty

K2: Key technological developments in the history of your chosen specialism. Back to Duty

K3: The financial environment of the creative or craft sector: external factors impacting it, the economic contribution the specialism makes. Back to Duty

K4: The different types of creative or craft businesses, support organisations and professional networks. Back to Duty

K5: Creative or craft industry income streams. Such as public and private subsidy, teaching, community outreach, and product sales. Back to Duty

K6: Support that craft technicians can provide in creative or craft and well-being settings. Such as schools, hospitals, residential care homes, community outreach projects, historical sites and workplaces. Back to Duty

K7: The environmental impact of your chosen specialism. The steps being taken by craft technicians and businesses to operate in a more environmentally sustainable way. Such as sourcing of materials, sustainable production and distribution processes. Back to Duty

K8: The types of hand and machine operated tools used by craft technicians within your chosen specialism. The products or materials they are typically used for. Back to Duty

K9: The project lifecycle: the design brief or specification. Factors that aid project success: customer and client liaison, team working, budget management, project mapping (production scheduling) and problem solving. Back to Duty

K10: Stock management and recording systems. Back to Duty

K11: Types of suppliers. Supplier research and sourcing methods. Supplier choice factors: financial competitiveness, environmental sustainability, and quality. Back to Duty

K12: Storage for tools, materials and products. Back to Duty

K13: Stakeholder management key principles. Back to Duty

K14: How digital tools and technology may be used to support productivity and delivery: CAD (computer-aided design) and 3D printing. Back to Duty

K15: The different routes to market such as physical retail, online retail, online portfolio, commissions, selling events (markets and fairs), social media, galleries and exhibitions, open studios and catalogues. Back to Duty

K16: Communication techniques: verbal, written, and digital; use industry terminology. Back to Duty

K17: Communication channels: specialist networking, social media, press, open studios, web Back to Duty

K18: Fundamentals that apply to copyrighting and intellectual property and how to protect craft items from external exploitation. Back to Duty

K19: Quality assurance, inspection, and sampling methods. Back to Duty

K20: The properties, environmental impact, and benefits of eco-friendly or recycled materials used in packing. Back to Duty

K21: Health and Safety; regulations. Including the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER). The Health and Safety At Work Act (HASAWA), the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), and manual handling as applicable to your chosen specialism. Back to Duty

K22: Design principles such as line, texture, size, shape, form, colour, volume, proportion Back to Duty

K23: Ceramic item manufacture key factors: use and function, size, shape, ergonomics, fitness for purpose, and production scale. Back to Duty

K24: The types of clay used to make ceramic items, their properties, and suitability for use. Such as: white earthenware, red or iron terracotta earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, bone china and fine bone china. Back to Duty

K25: Characteristics and states of clay for industrial or studio production. Such as: slip, wet clay, leather hard, bone dry, bisque fired, glaze fired, post firing techniques, and vitrified. Back to Duty

K26: Clay preparation methods such as: wedging, kneading, pugging and filter pressing. Back to Duty

K27: Ceramic production techniques such as throwing, slab work, coiling, press moulding, slip casting, jigger and jollying, ram pressing and high pressure casting. Back to Duty

K28: Ways that decorations can be applied to ceramic items such as: stamping, embossing, sprig work, brushwork, glaze, decals and sgraffito. Back to Duty

K29: Kiln and firing types such as: electric kiln, gas fired kilns, and wood or coal fired reduction firing. The use and effect of different temperatures. The stages of firing including bisque and glaze firings. Back to Duty

K30: The types and properties of glazes. Which to use for the type of clay or material being used. The use of pigments and underglazes, biaxal and triaxal glazes, and glaze recipes. Back to Duty

K31: The different production processes: batch production, limited run, and mass production. Back to Duty

K32: Uses for ceramic products such as personal, public, commercial, industrial and bespoke commissions. Back to Duty

K33: Read drawings and interpret prototypes or models. Back to Duty

K34: The types of dyes used, their properties, and suitability for use in combination with fabrics such as silks, cottons, nylons, wools, polyester, viscose. Back to Duty

K35: Colour matching using colour classification and colour theory. Back to Duty

K36: Composition and characteristics of different fabrics how to prepare them for dyeing. Back to Duty

K37: Fabric dyeing techniques such as patch dyeing, ombre, resist, bleaching and tie dye. Back to Duty

K38: Methods of finishing such heat pressing or varnishing. Back to Duty

K39: Methods of fixing dyes and the use of dye fixing agents such as salt or soda ash. Back to Duty

K40: Application techniques such as hand painting, spraying, block printing, screen printing, textile effects. Back to Duty

K41: Principles of textile printing both digitally and by hand such as pattern matching or placement printing. Back to Duty

K42: How to use digital graphic editors to prepare artwork for printing. Back to Duty

K43: Techniques to create visual narrative such as imagery, patterns, design, painting distressing, breakdown, creation of wounds, blood and other special effects. Back to Duty

K44: Read garment patterns and translate shapes from flat pieces to a three-dimensional form. Back to Duty

K45: Plan and manage a dye bath in a sustainable and cost-effective way, such as recycling water and dye sequence. Back to Duty

Skills

S1: Select and use tools and equipment. Back to Duty

S2: Use technology as an enabler to make hand-crafted items, models or prototypes. Back to Duty

S3: Identify sustainable techniques to make handmade or hand- produced items. Back to Duty

S4: Store tools and materials, ensuring they are protected from damage when not in use. Back to Duty

S5: Follow health and safety procedures. Back to Duty

S6: Clean, maintain and prepare the craft workspace or workshop. Back to Duty

S7: The roles, responsibilities and interdependencies of different parties in a project and your role within this. Back to Duty

S8: Identify costs. Deploy controls to enable effective budget management. Back to Duty

S9: Manage projects on time and budget. Maintain reputational standards and mitigate legal risks. Back to Duty

S10: Conduct stock control and liaise with suppliers. Back to Duty

S11: Communicate with stakeholders, colleagues or customers. Back to Duty

S12: Follow quality assurance procedures. Back to Duty

S13: Apply design principles to the making or production of items, in line with the brief such as shape, size, proportion, colour and finish. Back to Duty

S14: Select packaging for craft items to protect them whilst in transit. Present items as per the organisation’s or client or customer needs. Back to Duty

S15: Make ceramic items, prototypes or models in line with the brief. Consider: purpose, end user, market, and budget. Back to Duty

S16: Use specialist tools and equipment required for specific purposes. Back to Duty

S17: Select and use clay or material for the ceramic item being made. Back to Duty

S18: Use making skills for example hand building, sculpting, throwing, casting, moulding, and tool crafting or equivalent. Back to Duty

S19: Select and use finishing techniques or glazes to be applied to the final ceramic product. Back to Duty

S20: Assess the finished ceramic item against the brief and the production schedule including efficiency and wastage, quality, budget. Back to Duty

S21: Use drawn plans (hand or digital), prototypes or models to aid the making of a hand-made ceramic product. Back to Duty

S22: Mix dyes, paints and pigments to colour match to a sample. Back to Duty

S23: Dye selected fabric swatches, to produce colour samples matched to a design brief. Back to Duty

S24: Manage the dye baths in an efficient and sustainable way. Back to Duty

S25: Plan and work through a schedule of items to be dyed. Back to Duty

S26: Select and apply the dye method required to create the effect in the design brief. Back to Duty

S27: Select and use the dye type according to the fibre content and, composition of chosen fabric. Back to Duty

S28: Apply techniques such as hand painting, spraying, block printing, screen printing and textile effects. Back to Duty

S29: Use image editing technology to create artwork for printing. Back to Duty

S30: Use finishing and fixing techniques to complete the dye process. Back to Duty

S31: Apply special effects techniques such as distressing, breakdown, ageing, wounds or blood effects. Back to Duty

S32: Paint, print or dye a textile design on flat pattern pieces. Back to Duty

S33: Record dye recipes and log information related to the dyeing process such as the order of processes. Back to Duty

Behaviours

B1: Puts safety first. Back to Duty

B2: Keeps up to date with new technologies and industry best practice. Back to Duty

B3: Acts in a way that builds and maintains positive relationships with colleagues and others. Back to Duty

B4: Takes ownership of work. Back to Duty

B5: Sources solutions and seeks to continuously improve and develop. Back to Duty

B6: Acts in a professional and ethical manner, embracing equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Back to Duty

T Level in craft and design

Qualification type: T Level

Qualification level: 3

Awarding organisation: Pearson

Approval date: 07/03/2024

Available from: 01/09/2024

Occupational specialism: Ceramics maker

Product page

Aligned occupational standards

ST0919 Craft technician

Options: Ceramicist

End-point assessment (EPA plan)

Rigorous robust and independent assessment undertaken by an apprentice at the end of training to test that the apprentice can perform in the occupation they have been trained in and can demonstrate the duties, and knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) set out in the occupational standard

End-point assessment organisation (EPAO)

An organisation approved to deliver end-point assessment for a particular apprenticeship standard. EPAOs must be on the register of end-point assessment organisations

Holistic or synoptic

Assessment of an apprentice’s knowledge, skills and behaviours in an integrated way i.e. assessing several KSBs at the same time

Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSB)

What is needed to competently undertake the duties required for an occupational standard

Valid

Referred to in relation to assessment methods; fit for purpose

Change request policy

Most changes to an apprenticeship are made as a result of a holistic review of it. We prioritise the need for such reviews based on a range of factors. These include:

the time since the apprenticeship was developed or last reviewed (taking account of its typical duration)
the existence of any known problems with it (e.g. lower than expected starts, low achievement rate, high withdrawal rate, any issues with the availability of training or end-point assessment provision)
whether the apprenticeship is currently subject to a dispensation
the relative significance of the apprenticeship based on how many users it has

The availability of an employer group to support a review and its potential impact on any related technical education product also inform the timing of a review.

Details of apprenticeships that are currently being revised or adjusted are available in our revisions and adjustments status report.

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