A 28-year-old Herefordshire woman has won a coveted training post with English Heritage. Samantha Barnes has beaten nearly 1,000 other applicants from around the country to claim one of seven places on the Historic Environment Traineeship (HET) scheme and will spend the next two years working with heritage specialists in Birmingham.

The groundbreaking initiative aims to equip people with the all-round skills required to work as conservation managers and help protect the nation’s priceless heritage in the future.

Samantha is an Art History graduate with a master’s degree in Art Gallery and Museum Studies. She has recently completed an MSc in Conservation of Historic Buildings, and previously worked for the Architectural History Practice where she carried out research and fieldwork on a variety of historic environment issues in the North West.

English Heritage is committed to doing more to train a new generation of conservation managers.  Along with nurturing traditional craftspeople like masons, glaziers and carpenters, they have a key role to play in keeping historic buildings and landscapes in good condition and putting them at the heart of regeneration.

During her training programme Samantha will learn more about archaeological sites, managing heritage assets through the planning system, protecting listed buildings and landscapes and exploring solutions for tough cases where heritage is at risk.  Samantha was selected from 954 hopeful applicants following a stringent recruitment process, and has just taken up her position with English Heritage.  This is more than double the number that applied for the first seven positions when the scheme was launched in 2008.

Samantha, who lives in Shrewsbury, said: “I am really excited to have been accepted into a new scheme such as this. The historic environment is my passion and I am looking forward to building on the knowledge and experience I’ve gained through working for the Architectural History Practice and my studies. English Heritage is offering opportunities through this scheme that are incomparable to those operating elsewhere and the expertise and knowledge of the people working for English Heritage are the best in the country.”

Tim Johnston, Regional Director of English Heritage in the West Midlands, said: “We warmly welcome Samantha as a new Trainee to English Heritage. The very strong competition for these places is testament to the value and unique nature of English Heritage training. This scheme is about investing in our young people so they can make their mark in the future. Local Authorities and communities will be able to draw on their expertise to help manage and protect our historic environments.”

“Samantha and the rest of the new Trainees have already demonstrated their potential in getting this far. After the two year training scheme, they will be well-equipped to undertake with confidence and credibility the interesting and varied historic environment management opportunities available in the sector.”

If you have a query regarding recruitment for next year’s HET scheme, please send an email with your contact details to midlands.recruit@english-heritage.org.uk

For further press information please contact Debbie Holden, English Heritage Corporate Communications, 020 7973 3855