The NHTG Accredited Heritage Building Contractors Register

The NHTG Traditional Building Craft Skills in England research identified the need for a UK wide unified Accredited Heritage Building Contractors Register, with regional and national emphasis.

The aim is to develop a unified accredited register for use by public and private stockholders and in particular, to provide consumer protection to homeowners when selecting a suitable experienced and competent contractor for pre-1919 building work.

The unified register is open to use by built heritage professionals and the general public and provides the details of contractors with the right qualifications and experience to work on pre-1919 buildings in the UK. It is ideally  based upon publicly available information, such as, size of company, turnover, degree of work in the built heritage sector, craft occupations and also includes skills and competencies of employees (qualifications and CSCS Cards, including the new CSCS Heritage Skills Card for craft operatives).

Heritage Clients  to Demand Card
English Heritage has taken the lead in endorsing the Heritage Skills NVQ Level 3 and CSCS Heritage Skills card. It is demanding that all craftspeople undertaking conservation, repair, maintenance and restoration on their 400-plus properties and sites will be working towards this card.

Cadw, Welsh Assembly Government has similarly endorsed the qualification and the CSCS card for those working on pre-1919 buildings in Wales.
It is expected that other heritage bodies and organisations with responsibility for pre-1919 buildings will follow suit.

How do I get a card?
CSCS is working with the NHTG on the validation process and endorsement is granted by three possible routes:

1. Managed Industry Accreditation: Practitioners supply evidence of their relevant work experience supported by their employer’s endorsement that they continue to carry out this kind of work to a high standard. It is envisaged that this route will be available until September 2010.

For existing craftspeople it's possible to achieve the heritage endorsement to the CSCS card via Managed Industry Accreditation, but for a limited time only. The National Heritage Training Group (NHTG) is working in partnership with CSCS on the validation process for this card.

The presentation of the first two heritage-endorsed cards to be issued under this route took place at the NHTG Regional Heritage Skills Action Group Conference at Alnwick Castle on November 11 2008. Charlie Catlow and Alan Foster, both of Historic Property Restoration Limited (HPR), were the recipients.

The setting was particularly appropriate as the company is involved in a long-standing programme of masonry conservation and repair work to the Duke of Northumberland’s building – used for filming scenes from the Harry Potter films.

Other routes to the card

2. Approved Apprenticeship and Conservation Qualification: Demonstrating achievement of a recognised craft qualification and a recognised conservation qualification.

3. Heritage Skills NVQ: Achievement of the Heritage Skills NVQ Level 3
The quickest and easiest way to apply for a CSCS card is to  organise it yourself and download an application form from the CSCS website