National Lottery Heritage Grants £250,000 to £10 million
Our funding will support the creation of the largest single space in Scotland dedicated to the development and delivery of high quality traditional and heritage skills training. Scottish Canals, working in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland, will deliver the project at Lock 16.
The historic built environment sector faces a skills crisis, with an ageing workforce and limited access to training opportunities. Scotland’s canals require regular, specialist maintenance, which can demand heritage engineering skills. Historic Environment Scotland believe that 450,000 traditionally constructed buildings are at risk due to a need for more and better conservation. Lock 16 is designed to transform this landscape.
The project will establish an accredited training hub, delivering an expanded range of skills training essential for maintaining Scotland’s built and canals heritage. For example, the new site will create more capacity for stonemasonry, using the larger, purpose-built workshops and classrooms to meet the demand for this vital skillset.
Lock 16 will also create a Scotland-wide network for heritage skills sharing, ensuring accessibility and fostering innovation with other heritage organisations. An outreach programme within the local community will open doors to school and youth groups – offering skills festivals and demonstrations to inspire the next generation of engineers and artisans.
Find out more about heritage projects we’re supporting across Scotland.
