New Ernest Cook funded project

The HCA has been awarded a grant from the Ernest Cook Trust to pilot a new programme of pre-apprenticeships in countryside crafts in West Somerset.

Three craftspeople will be selected to each take on three young people over the course of six weeks to get a taste of what it would be like to have a career in heritage crafts. This project will compensate the craftspeople fairly for their time, as well as providing the students with a transferable basic-level NVQ qualification in employability skills.

The programme will provide a framework for more accredited pre-apprenticeships and full apprenticeships in heritage crafts in the South West and the rest of the UK.

January 2017 update:

Three crafts practitioners have been selected to host the nine pre-apprentices. They are:

• Jim Patterson – papermaker
• Sarah Webb – basketmaker
• Stefan Jennings – green woodworker

SEPE accreditation training, provided by Superact CIC, is taking place on 15 February 2017, with pre-apprenticeships commencing shortly thereafter. There are still training places available for young people between 16 and 21 – click here for more details.