Heritage crafts are endangered. You could be part of what saves them.
CraftGate connects people with structured placements alongside working heritage craftspeople - pre-apprenticeships for 16–25s, career-change pathways for adults, and short-form experiences for passion learners.
Pre-apprenticeship placements run 6–12 weeks and are free to apply. You complete a short online foundation course first, then we match you with a verified host - and we secure an apprenticeship or job offer before your placement ends. Career changer and passion learner routes follow separate pathways into the same network.
- 9 heritage crafts
- Free for 16–25 students
- Verified hosts
- CraftGate Foundation Award
- Secured destinations
CraftGate Heritage is the delivery partner for CITB's Heritage, including stonemasonry and oak framing, Specialist Upskilling Fund 2026.
Find out about the fundFind your route in
Five ways into the network
Different starting points, different pace, different commitment. Pick the one that fits.
If you're the learner
Three pathways into the craft
Pre-apprenticeship · Free
Young person · 16–25
Free placements for 16–25 year olds. Complete a short foundation course, spend 6–12 weeks alongside a verified heritage craftsperson - and we secure an apprenticeship or job offer before your placement ends.
Start hereAdults · Paid pathway
Career changer
Changing career into heritage craft is realistic - with screening, structured online learning, a placement alongside a working practitioner, and help into paid work.
How it works for adults→Hobbyists · Short-form
Passion learner
Weekend residentials, dedicated teaching days, and observation half-days - always run separately from our pre-apprenticeship cohorts.
See passion-learner dates→If you're enabling someone else
Two ways to support the next generation
Family & schools
Parent or teacher
Safe placements with verified hosts, parental consent built in, safeguarding throughout, and a secured destination before each placement ends. There’s a teacher pack too.
Parents & teachers guide→Heritage employers
Host organisation
A fully managed learner-pipeline service. We recruit, screen and prepare candidates, and only send them to verified hosts who’ve signed our four-part commitment.
Host with CraftGate→How It Works
From discovery to your placement in three simple steps.
Discover
Browse heritage crafts and find placements near you by craft type, region, and dates.
Apply
Create a free profile and apply for a placement with a short motivation statement.
Experience
Spend 6–12 weeks embedded in a real heritage craft environment and build your portfolio.
Explore the Crafts
Nine traditional building crafts. One platform.
A pathway, not just a placement.
CraftGate takes you from curiosity to career in three clear stages - with a secured destination at the end.
Step 1
Complete Your Foundation
Choose a heritage craft. Complete six online modules covering conservation philosophy, materials, tools, techniques, and career routes. Pass the quiz and write your motivation statement.
Free · ~5 hoursStep 2
Your Placement
Work alongside a master craftsperson for 6–12 weeks on real heritage projects. Every placement is structured, supervised, and verified by CraftGate.
6–12 weeksStep 3
Your Secured Destination
Before your placement ends, CraftGate secures your next step - an apprenticeship offer, a job offer, or a supported route into the sector.
Apprenticeship or employmentAre you a heritage craftsperson?
Help shape CraftGate - take our survey. Part 1 takes about six minutes, and every answer is optional.
Our Commitment
What CraftGate commits to
CraftGate secures destinations for placement students - apprenticeships, employment, or further structured training - working alongside hosts from Week 8 of each placement. Where a destination cannot be secured by the end of placement, CraftGate continues to work with the student. And for 24 months after placement ends, every CraftGate alumnus has a named contact at CraftGate, a quarterly check-in, and a route back to us if something goes wrong in their early career. Our responsibility does not end when a placement does.
Ready to find your placement?
Create a free account and start browsing placements with verified heritage craft specialists.
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