Appendix H: Skills & Training
A dual-phase apprenticeship and training programme embedded into both the construction and operational phases of the Cultybraggan project — creating jobs, preserving heritage skills, and unlocking significant additional funding.
This appendix supports The Evidence Base executive briefing. Return to the executive briefing for the summary.
15–20Formal Apprenticeships
1,000+Individuals Trained (10 yr)
~£500KNew Skills-Only Funding
2 PhasesConstruction + Operations
The strategic case: The training programme unlocks ~£500K in new skills-only funding (CITB, SDS, veterans’ charities). But its real value is strategic: it satisfies mandatory outcomes for the main £2M+ NLHF and HES Heritage & Place bids. Without a credible training plan, those applications are significantly weaker. With one, they become compelling.
Phase 1: Heritage Construction Training
The multi-year conversion of 45+ B-listed Nissen huts creates a sustained demand for traditional building skills — and a unique opportunity to train the next generation of heritage craftspeople on a nationally significant site.
Heritage Skills Training
| Skill Area | Provider | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Corrugated iron conservation | HES (TAN 29 specialism) | Bespoke short courses — potential to pioneer UK’s first Nissen hut conservation qualification |
| Traditional lime mortar | Scottish Lime Centre Trust | 2-day contractor courses, SQA-accredited conservation masonry units |
| Heritage joinery & carpentry | HES / King’s Foundation | Modern Apprenticeships (SCQF Level 6), Craft Fellowship placements |
| Stonemasonry | HES (Stirling/Elgin centres) | Modern Apprenticeships — 20+ years of delivery |
| Roofing & plastering | HES / CITB | Pre-apprenticeships, Modern Apprenticeships |
| Thermal upgrading | Engine Shed, Stirling | Building conservation, energy efficiency, heritage retrofit courses |
Construction Phase Scale
| Programme Type | Capacity | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Formal apprenticeships on site | 6–12 at any time | 2–4 years each |
| Pre-apprenticeship programmes | 20–40 per year | 8–20 weeks |
| Summer schools / intensive placements | 15–25 per event, 1–2/year | 2–5 weeks |
| Specialist short courses | 8–12 per course, 6–10/year | 2–5 days |
| Community volunteers | 30–50 per year | Ongoing |
| Total annual impact | ~100–230 individuals |
Over a 5–7 year construction programme: potentially 20–30 formal apprentices completing qualifications, plus 500–1,000+ individuals receiving short-course or pre-apprenticeship training.
Phase 2: Operational Training
Once the luxury eco-venue is operational, ongoing apprenticeship and training roles span hospitality, digital, estate management, events, and heritage maintenance.
| Role | Framework | Positions |
|---|---|---|
| Hospitality (front of house, housekeeping, F&B) | SDS Modern Apprenticeship — Hospitality Team Member (SCQF 5) | 4–8 |
| Professional cookery | SDS Modern Apprenticeship — Professional Cookery (SCQF 5–6) | 1–2 |
| Digital marketing | SDS Modern Apprenticeship — Digital Marketing (SCQF 6–7) | 1–2 |
| Estate management & grounds | Lantra MA — Horticulture (SCQF 5); Landscaping SVQ | 2–4 |
| Event management | SDS MA — Management (SCQF 7) | 1–2 |
| Heritage maintenance | CITB Heritage Skills SVQ; HES craft placement | 1–2 |
| Total operational apprentices | 10–18 |
Precedents
Scottish Heritage Training Programmes
| Project | Model | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| Scotland’s Centre of Excellence for Canals & Traditional Skills (Scottish Canals + HES) | Pre-apprenticeships, modern apprenticeships, upskilling, “train the trainers” | £3.7M (NLHF) |
| Dumfries House / King’s Foundation | Building Craft & Conservation Programme — 3-week summer school + 14-week placements. Up to 600 people trained. | Multiple funders |
| Building Traditional Skills Eyemouth (Scottish Historic Buildings Trust) | 20-week pilot: 14 trainees, 2 days/week hands-on at Category A listed Gunsgreen House | UKSPF via Scottish Borders Council |
| Perth & Kinross Heritage Trust | Traditional skills for school pupils, community payback groups, volunteers. Roof slating, stone carving, lime mortar, carpentry. | Trust supporters + PKC |
| Resilient Borders Project | Establishing a Training Centre for Traditional Building Skills with Borders College | Multiple funders |
UK-Wide Heritage Sites as Training Centres
| Site | Programme | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Wentworth Woodhouse (Grade II*, South Yorkshire) | Heritage Building Skills Programme — summer schools, on-site apprentice | 19 trainees in single intake |
| English Heritage sites | Heritage Craft Skills Resilience Programme — flint/stone masonry, heritage brickwork, training centre | 48 heritage + 3 professional apprentices over 7 years |
| National Trust | Heritage Crafts Apprenticeship Programme — stonemasonry and carpentry/joinery (Level 2–3) | 52 apprentices over 3–5 years |
| Water, Mills & Marshes (Norfolk Broads) | Heritage Construction Skills — 250 students at City College Norwich + 2 apprentices | Heritage Skills Centre of Excellence established |
Funding Impact
The training programme’s biggest funding value isn’t new pots — it’s making the main £2M+ heritage bids much harder to refuse. It also unlocks ~£500K in genuinely new skills-only funding.
Strengthens Existing Bids
These sources are already in the main funding strategy, but the training programme makes applications significantly stronger:
| Source | Amount | How Training Helps |
|---|---|---|
| National Lottery Heritage Fund | £250K – £10M | “People will have developed skills” is a mandatory outcome. A concrete training plan with target numbers and partner agreements moves this from vague aspiration to funded deliverable. |
| HES Heritage & Place Programme | £750K – £1.5M | Traditional skills training is a required component. Without it, the application is incomplete. Joint with NLHF can reach £2.9M+. |
| UKSPF / successor programmes | £50K – £250K | Already identified for infrastructure. Training accesses the separate “People and Skills” strand — potentially additive. |
| PKC Employability | £20K – £100K | Already identified via heritage framework. Training formalises the connection with specific apprenticeship numbers. |
New Skills-Only Funding
These sources are genuinely new — not accessible without a structured training programme:
| Source | Potential Amount | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| CITB Apprenticeship Grants | £145K – £290K | £2,500/year per apprentice + £3,500 completion bonus. Up to £14,500 per apprentice over 4 years. 10–20 apprentices = significant return. |
| Skills Development Scotland | £100K – £250K | Training costs for Modern Apprenticeships funded directly to learning provider. Covers hospitality, digital, horticulture, construction. |
| HES Craft Fellowship | Funded placements | Fellows hosted by master craftspeople for 12–18 months. Traditional joinery, stone carving, millwrighting, blacksmithing. |
| Veterans & youth charities | £20K – £100K | Building Heroes (free 5-week construction courses for veterans), King’s Trust, SSAFA Scotland, DofE. Military heritage connection is unique. |
| Architectural Heritage Fund | £15K – £45K | £2M secured from HES (2025–28) for Scottish projects. Viability and development grants. |
| Vinehill Trust | £10K – £100K | Formerly Hamish Ogston Foundation. Smaller grants to charities. “Community Heritage” and traditional skills eligible. Contact: [email protected] |
New skills-only funding: ~£300K–775K+. But the real value is making the £2M+ NLHF and HES Heritage & Place bids dramatically stronger — training satisfies mandatory outcomes that these funders require.
The Unique Cultybraggan Proposition
No other UK project currently combines all of these factors:
| Factor | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Scale | 45+ B-listed buildings requiring conservation creates sustained training demand over many years — not a one-off project |
| Niche specialism | Nissen hut and corrugated iron conservation is under-served. Potential to become the UK centre of expertise (no existing qualification exists) |
| Community ownership | CDT’s community right-to-buy status aligns with virtually every funder’s priorities |
| Military heritage | Opens doors to veterans’ charities and armed forces funding — Building Heroes, SSAFA, Armed Forces Covenant Fund |
| International significance | HES designation as “Unique Heritage Asset of International Value” gives exceptional leverage with funders |
| Dual-phase opportunity | Both construction and operational phases generate training roles — decade-long pipeline of apprenticeships |
| Rural skills gap | Addresses geographic skills shortages in Perth & Kinross — 35% of people take 2+ months to find traditionally trained personnel in Scotland |
| Graduate employment | The luxury eco-venue creates permanent jobs for trained graduates — built-in career pathway |
Key Training Partners
| Organisation | Role | Contact Route |
|---|---|---|
| Historic Environment Scotland | Modern Apprenticeships, Craft Fellowship, pre-apprenticeships, Engine Shed courses | Skills training centres (Stirling/Elgin) |
| Perth & Kinross Heritage Trust | Local traditional skills training, school engagement, community payback | Already connected via Heritage Conservation Framework |
| Scottish Lime Centre Trust | Lime mortar, conservation masonry (SQA-accredited) | Direct — courses run across Scotland |
| King’s Foundation / Dumfries House | Building Craft & Conservation Programme, summer schools | Cohorts of ~8 students, could place at Cultybraggan |
| CITB Scotland | Apprenticeship grants, qualification frameworks, Heritage Skills SVQ | Register as employer for grants |
| Skills Development Scotland | Modern Apprenticeship frameworks (hospitality, digital, horticulture) | Via apprenticeships.scot |
| Scottish Historic Buildings Trust | Building Traditional Skills model (Eyemouth pilot) | Potential partnership for replication at Cultybraggan |
| PKC Skills & Employment | No One Left Behind, Employer Recruitment Incentive, Veterans First | [email protected] |
Recommended Next Steps
- Register with CITB as an employer to access apprenticeship grants from day one of construction
- Partner with HES and PKHT to explore hosting pre-apprenticeship programmes and craft fellowships during early conservation works
- Develop a Nissen hut conservation specialism — commission HES/SLCT to create a bespoke short course, accredited through SQA or NOCN. Genuinely unique in the UK.
- Contact Scottish Historic Buildings Trust (Eyemouth pilot) as a recent model of heritage restoration + community skills training
- Build training into the main NLHF Heritage 2033 application as a core outcome, not an add-on — this is the single most impactful step for funding success
- Engage PKC Skills & Employment team for local employability alignment and veterans’ programmes
The reframed pitch: “Cultybraggan isn’t just a heritage rescue or a luxury venue — it’s a living training centre where the next generation of heritage craftspeople learn their trade on Britain’s most significant surviving POW camp, then graduate into permanent careers in Scotland’s fastest-growing tourism sector.”