The future of heritage depends on people as much as buildings
Michael leads the Cathedrals’ Workshop Fellowship (CWF), a national organisation that supports training and skills development across its 14 cathedral members, helping to safeguard the specialist crafts and knowledge required to care for some of the UK's most significant historic buildings.
Through its network of cathedrals, the organisation plays a vital role in developing the next generation of heritage professionals while preserving traditional skills that are increasingly under pressure.
In 2025, Benefact Trust launched the Benefact Trust Scholars Programme in partnership with the CWF, committing a record £2.1 million over five years to support 36 heritage apprentices and trainees across the 14 cathedrals. The programme was established to help address the growing shortage of heritage craftspeople, skills and training, by creating clear pathways into specialist careers, including stonemasonry and other traditional conservation skills.
For Michael, heritage isn’t simply about maintaining historic buildings. Cathedrals and other heritage sites are living places that continue to shape our social, cultural, and economic environment. The challenge facing the heritage sector today is not just how we preserve historic structures, but how we invest in the people, skills, and communities needed to care for them for generations to come.
"Heritage sites and cathedrals are not just buildings. They're not just great architecture. They are the cornerstones of local communities," he says.
The heritage sector’s most valuable asset: human connection
Historic buildings are often celebrated for their architectural significance, but their value extends far beyond stone, timber and glass. Cathedrals, churches and heritage sites continue to provide places of belonging, reflection and connection for millions of people.
For some, they are centres of faith and spirituality. For others, they are cultural spaces, places to enjoy music, heritage, or craftsmanship. Many simply see them as part of what makes their city feel like home.
As Michael explains: "When we talk about heritage, it's not just about architecture. It's about setting. It's about how people feel when they're in these places."
Michael tells us that research increasingly supports the idea that historic environments can contribute positively to wellbeing1 and help create a sense of belonging within communities. Yet these more intangible benefits are often overlooked when discussions focus mainly on the costs of maintaining heritage buildings.
What makes heritage important is not only that buildings survive, but that they continue to play an active role in people's lives.
Why investing in heritage also means investing in local economies
The contribution of heritage to local economies is significant and often underestimated.
Every conservation project relies on a diverse network of professionals and trades. These roles support employment, skills development and specialist industries throughout the country.
Historic buildings also generate wider economic value through tourism, education and community engagement. Cathedrals, for example, have increasingly diversified how they attract visitors, creating exhibitions, events, workshops and experiences that bring new audiences through their doors while supporting local businesses.
Historic England estimates that England's heritage sector contributed almost £40 billion in economic value in 2023 and supported more than 546,000 jobs2, demonstrating that investment in heritage is also investment in economic growth.
As Michael points out, cathedrals are independent charities, often balancing significant responsibilities with limited resources. Their ability to contribute to local economies depends on ongoing investment and support.
Protecting heritage, therefore, shouldn’t be viewed as a cost. It is an investment in skills, employment, tourism and community resilience.
Reframing the heritage skills shortage: creating pathways into heritage careers
A lot has been written about the heritage skills shortage, but Michael believes the challenge is often misunderstood.
Rather than a lack of interest, he sees a lack of accessible pathways: "I know that there is not a shortage of individuals who want to undertake this type of work. It's more around the fact that it's very difficult for them to progress and to be able to even start."
The issue is particularly prominent in specialist conservation disciplines. Educational provision has declined, with only a small number of colleges offering training in areas such as stonemasonry, while crafts such as stained-glass conservation are now recognised as being at risk.3 This makes accessible training and clear career pathways increasingly important to the future of the heritage sector.
At the same time, financial pressures create barriers for both young people and ‘career changers.’ Training often involves lower starting salaries, making it difficult for individuals balancing living costs, mortgages, and family responsibilities.
Michael believes the sector must ask itself some tough questions: "Are we signposting well enough to younger people? Is the pathway clear enough for individuals?"
These are questions that go beyond recruitment. They are about accessibility, awareness and creating realistic opportunities for people to pursue careers they are genuinely passionate about.
Creating pathways into heritage careers and conservation skills
This challenge is precisely why long-term investment in skills development is so important. In fact, a research project into the UK’s heritage sector highlighted skills development funding as one of the most effective ways to strengthen the heritage sector’s future workforce.4
The Benefact Trust Scholars Programme represents one example of how investment in heritage skills is working in practice. Through Benefact Trust's £2.1 million investment, apprentices will be trained across cathedrals over five years, receiving practical experience and mentorship while developing the specialist skills needed within the heritage sector.
These are the foundations that can create sustainable careers in the heritage sector. To deliver a heritage conservation project, organisations require surveyors, architects, designers, quantity surveyors, archaeologists, conservation specialists and project managers, alongside skilled craftspeople.
Many individuals begin their careers working directly with traditional materials before progressing into supervision, management or consultancy roles. As Michael highlights, practical experience often creates the strongest future leaders because it provides an understanding of what conservation work genuinely requires.
For young people searching for meaningful careers, heritage offers something increasingly valuable - the opportunity to build practical skills, solve complex challenges, and play a direct role in protecting places that matter to communities.
Passing on more than technical skills
One of Michael’s most compelling insights is that heritage training should not focus solely on practical techniques: "We should be teaching people about judgement. We should be teaching people about patience."
While skills such as carving stone or restoring stained-glass can be taught through training and experience, making appropriate conservation decisions requires something deeper.
Today's conservation professionals are often dealing with the consequences of decisions made decades ago. Materials and techniques once considered best practice can prove problematic over time as buildings age and environmental conditions evolve.
This is why heritage education mustn’t just include technical proficiency but also critical thinking, professional responsibility, and stewardship.
As custodians of historic buildings, conservators aren’t just responsible for preserving the past, but for making decisions that will affect future generations.
Is technology the enemy of traditional skills?
The conversation around heritage often assumes a tension between traditional skills and modern technology.
Michael takes a more balanced view: "You can't stop progress. It will happen. But embracing the right parts of that progress is the important part."
Technology already plays a vital role in conservation. Modern equipment, machinery and digital tools help improve safety, efficiency and project delivery.
However, technology should complement traditional skills rather than replace them.
As the CWF and its members recognise, skills must first be learned before they can be adapted. If traditional techniques disappear altogether, future generations risk losing the knowledge required to understand, repair and conserve historic buildings properly. Progress matters. But so does preserving the expertise that underpins it.
The future of the heritage sector
The challenges facing the heritage sector are clear. Heritage organisations are facing increasing pressure from rising costs, climate change and shortages of skilled workers, all while caring for buildings and traditions that communities continue to value deeply.5
Michael believes the future of heritage conservation has less to do with buildings and more to do with investment in people.
Perhaps most importantly, heritage must be understood in its widest sense. It encompasses architecture and craftsmanship, but also music, identity, community, belonging and lived experience.
By investing in apprenticeships, training and long-term career development, initiatives like the CWF Benefact Trust Scholars Programme are helping to ensure that heritage skills, specialist knowledge and conservation expertise are passed on for generations to come.
Safeguarding heritage is not only about preserving buildings. It’s about preserving the skills, knowledge, and passion that bring them to life.