Summary

We are the public body that looks after England’s historic environment. We champion historic places, helping people understand, value and care for them.

Historic England has a fantastic opportunity for you to join us as an Emerging Talent Trainee Placement - Heritage Engagement Assistant.

This is a part-time 18 hours per week, 8 week paid Emerging Talent Programme placement. You will be paid a £484.20 per week bursary (pro rata for part-time is £242.10 per week). Your core working days will be Tuesday-Thursday with occasional weekend and evening work. This role will be based on site at St Mary’s By The Tyne, the Staithes Hub at Dunston and along the Tyne Derwent Way route. There will be some working at the Newcastle Historic England office. You are not able to work from home in this placement.

We can support with transport to the Tyne Derwent Way sites, however you will need to arrange your own regular travel to St Mary’s, Staithes Hub and our office. There are public transport links from Gateshead to Staithes and project bikes will be avaible to support travel.

Emerging Talent Programme

Historic England’s Emerging Talent Programme provides paid opportunities to those underrepresented in the heritage sector Emerging Talent Placements Programme | Historic England 

Our training placements are for young people aged 18 to 30 years old across three audiences: 

• Black, Asian, or ethnic minorities 

• Disabled people 

• People who are disadvantaged by their social and/or economic background or circumstances 

Purpose of the Placement

The placement will assist the Heritage Engagement Officer for the Tyne Derwent Way Project with developing and delivering heritage-based community engagement projects and events.

They will support the delivery of the heritage strand of the Tyne Derwent Way Project, which is creating a 9 mile riverside corridor between Gateshead and Gibside, linking local people with their heritage, culture and nature-rich green space. The placement will assist the Historic England funded Heritage Engagement Officer and the rest of the Tyne Derwent Way delivery team (managed by Tyne and Wear Building Preservation Trust) to deliver engagement and active participation events to a diverse community, providing bespoke heritage events and ensuring that heritage is included in the wider project programme.

Working closely with the Engagement Officer and Project Manager, the placement will help to develop resource and promotional materials, assist with the delivery of events and work closely with community volunteers to become involved in the care of their local heritage. The role involves some work with children and young adults, so a basic DBS check is required.

What you will be doing

• Assist with developing and delivering engagement and educational activities along the Tyne Derwent Way.

• Help to plan, organise and develop heritage activities, infusing local flavour into cultural events.

•  Work with team members, volunteers and heritage groups to ensure heritage is effectively woven into wider project work.

• Help with volunteers to create a community of heritage champions.

• Assist with investigating existing resources from earlier projects and bring it to new audiences.

• Help deliver projects targeting diverse communities.

Events and meetings 

We will be hosting an in person Welcome Event for all Emerging Talent Placements in July.

Behaviours we are looking for:

Connecting - you enjoy establishing relationships, seeking to support and help others 

Discovery - You love finding out new things and developing yourself 

Adaptable – You can find the best fit for your needs and can change your workflow to meet demands

Spotlight  - You love capturing people’s interest and attention

Target Start Date: mid July 2026

Why complete a placement with Historic England

Our placements will enable you to gain valuable hands-on experience of working in the heritage sector, developing skills to enable you to take the next steps in your career.

Once you have completed your Emerging Talent Placement you will be eligible to apply for a 6 month Step-Up placement. These are paid training roles, based within a team for six months full time (part time will be considered). They are specifically targeted for people who have undertaken one of our Emerging Talent Placements over the summer, either this year, or in a previous year.

These placements are designed to give you that “step up” into a longer paid work in the heritage sector.

They will also help you develop your essential skills, improving your employability.

Historic England want all of our candidates to shine in the recruitment process. Please tell us what we can do to make sure you can show us your very best self. You can contact us by email at EmergingTalent@HistoricEngland.org.uk if you have any recruitment queries. 

How to Apply:

At Historic England we use a hiring system called Applied. Applied is a behavioural science-backed recruitment platform that reduces bias, improves quality of hire and increases diversity. We do not use CV application for the majority of our hiring processes. You will answer a selection of questions that allow our hiring teams to test your skills and suitability for the role.

At Historic England, we value the expertise and individuality each candidate brings and want to hear about this in your own words. If you require the use or AI tools or other resources to support your application, we ask that all information is factually accurate, original, and reflects your own experience. To best represent yourself, we encourage you to write in your own words and use AI-generated content only as inspiration—not as direct input.