Training bursary for building crafts (Northern Ireland only)

Deadline: 5pm on Friday 20 March 2026

CITBNI This training bursary is targeted at new entrants and early-career craftspeople working in building crafts in Northern Irleand who are experiencing financial hardship. It is supported by the Construction Industry Training Board Northern Ireland as part of the All Ireland Heritage Skills Programme, a partnership project supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and delivered by The King’s Foundation, The Heritage Council, Department for Communities and CITB NI. The bursary is also part of a suite of grants, awards and bursaries offered by Heritage Crafts to support and celebrate heritage craftspeople.

The bursaries are for those working in or learning heritage crafts in Northern Ireland. Although beneficiaries should be based in Northern Ireland, it is acknowledged that they may require travel outside of Northern Ireland to undertake specialist training.

Please note: training for this bursary must be completed by 31 August 2026.

Apply for up to £4,000 to start training in building crafts or to further develop your skills.

Many people are dissuaded from training in heritage crafts because of the cost, and therefore the make-up of the sector is not truly representative of the mix of backgrounds that make up the UK as a whole. This bursary has been set up to help cover or subsidise the cost of training for someone who would otherwise be prevented from pursuing this career path as a result of the cost.

Bursaries are for:

new entrants in Northern Ireland who have demonstrated a commitment to starting a new craft career and need to acquire the necessary hand skills;
early-career practitioners in Northern Ireland who have not yet attained the hand skills required to achieve commercial success; or
early- or mid-career craftspeople in Northern Ireland who need to acquire distinctly different hand skills to develop new ways of achieving commercial success.

Building crafts in this context are crafts that relate to the built environment (including interiors). They can include, but are not limited to, architectural blacksmithing, bell founding, block printing (wallpaper or textiles), brick making, cabinetry, canal art and boat painting, carpentry, architectural ceramics (e.g. chimney pots, terracotta and faience), clock making, cob/earth building, decorative plasterworking (including gypsum and fibrous plaster), dry stone walling, encaustic tile making, flintwork for buildings, French polishing, gauged brickwork, gilding, glass working (window glass), heritage tiling and mosaic, historic stained glass window making, architectural iron founding, joinery, leadworking, lime plastering, marquetry, metal roofing, millwrighting, organ building, pargeting, stucco and scagliola, pietra dura, pigment making, reverse glass sign painting, signwriting, slate working (roofs), spar making, specialist painting and decorative finishes, stained glass and glass painting, stone carving, stonemasonry, thatching. tile making (roofing, wall and floor), timber framing, wood carving, wood turning, and so on. This list is not exhaustive, and other crafts will be considered where relevance to the historic built environment is demonstrated.

If you are new to a craft and are struggling to find the right training for you, after your own research, please get in touch and we may be able to support. Successful applicants will be supported by the Heritage Crafts team to develop an action plan. We will work with you to monitor progress and support you to achieve your aims

What can this grant be used for?

You can apply for a bursary for any amount up to £4,000 which can cover or contribute towards the costs of:

apprenticeship-style training with a craftsperson/people;
attending a specialist training course (accredited or non-accredited);
undertaking a self-directed programme of training with one or more craftspeople;
the cost of specialist tools or materials, books or study materials, or supporting travel and accommodation (no more than 30% of total budget).

The bursary cannot be used for general living expenses, research, promotional activities or anything else.

How to apply

Please apply by filling out the form via the link below. We will also accept a video application of no more than 15 minutes in length in which you address all of the questions in the form below. You can access a list of questions here.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday 20 March 2026. If you have any questions or need assistance with the application process, please email Rae Weaver at [email protected].

Assessment, shortlisting and final selection will be carried out by the Heritage Crafts judging team, and interviews will be carried out by Zoom. If you are new to a craft and you would like assistance with finding a trainer, please get in touch and we will do what we can to help.