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This standard has options. Display duties and KSBs for:
This occupation is found in a range of settings including specialist craft businesses, design studios, production workshops, restoration and conservation businesses, training establishments, cultural institutions such as museums, galleries and heritage sites, corporate businesses, and the natural environment. Employers are typically known to be micro businesses and SMEs. However, Craft Assistants can occasionally be found in larger organisations in the public, private and charity sectors. Craft Assistants may also progress into freelance work and/or operate as sole traders once sufficient skills and experience are gained.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to design and deliver hand-crafted products. Craft Assistants make, service, restore and/or conserve individual hand-crafted items and do so for customers/clients, public and/or private collections, and/or the built or natural environment. Craft Assistants will work with a range of materials such as textiles, moldable and rigid materials, paper, glass, clay etc. Typically, the businesses Craft Assistants are employed by specialise in a selected craft and an individual in this role will achieve occupational competence in that craft. Craft Assistants provide technical support to ensure new or existing items, to be made or restored by hand, are designed, developed, and created in line with company and client requirements. Increasingly, the integration of digital technologies across this sector will support production processes while retaining unique craft qualities through hybrid manufactured and handmade production. Craft Assistants must adhere to the organisation’s confidentiality requirements and understand basic copyrighting and intellectual property arrangements. Working with discretion, taking positive action in response to feedback, being solution focused, and maintaining awareness of the bigger picture, including budget and broader resource constraints and environmental impacts and ways to reduce these, are essential to a Craft Assistants approach.
In their daily work, Craft Assistants are expected to work collaboratively with other designers and craft practitioners, customers/clients, wider team members such as administrators, distributors, marketers, retailers, suppliers and external stakeholders. Craft Assistants work to agreed deadlines as part of a team but are expected to work with autonomy once sufficient skill and knowledge is obtained. Whilst training, Craft Assistants work alongside, and under the instruction of, a master craftsperson and are sometimes responsible for creating component parts of a product that the master craftsperson would use to finish the product.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for effective client communication, demonstrating sound project management and project delivery skills. They will be competent in the processes, materials, and tools used to create the specified hand-made products of the business they are employed by. Craft Assistants will demonstrate a sound understanding of sustainable practices including the sourcing, use, disposal, recycling and reuse of materials across the craft industry.
Craft Assistants are responsible for maintaining the workspace and its contents in line with the business’ standards and health and safety requirements. They will also assist with the creation and managing of databases, client/customer information, and ongoing ordering and control of stock.
Craft Assistants would be expected to have an understanding of working with customers/clients and may also be expected to liaise with customers/clients throughout the making process and/or to aid in any relevant item aftercare.
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Duty 1 Utilise technology as an enabler to make hand crafted items within the social, cultural, economic, technological and environmental contexts impacting craft |
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Duty 2 Make products or component parts of products by hand in line with the organisation’s quality standards, confidentiality policies and Intellectual Property requirements |
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Duty 3 Focus on sustainability, research and develop green production techniques, processes and the use of recycled materials |
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Duty 4 Maintain equipment and the workspace, and store tools in line with the organisation’s standards and Health and Safety requirements |
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Duty 5 Record and control materials, items, stock, products and suitably store these to maintain their fitness for use |
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Duty 6 Order or recommend materials and/or tools in line with the organisation’s procurement policies/processes and stock management procedures as needed to achieve value for money |
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Duty 7 Follow agreed plans, designs or brief to aid the successful creation of a specified hand-made product within time and cost constraints |
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Duty 8 Manage client expectations by maintaining regular client communication and delivering effective project management, budget tracking, troubleshooting, project delivery and timekeeping |
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Duty 9 Utilise technology to communicate, market and sell hand-made items effectively |
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Duty 10 Provide excellent and inclusive customer service and relationship management to a diverse range of clients |
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Duty 11 Package/present products in line with the organisation’s standards, procedures and/or client/customer requirements |
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Duty 12 Make, service, restore, and/or conserve ceramic items for customers/clients and/or public/private collections |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K14 K22 K23 K24 K25 K26 K27 K28 K29 K30 K31 |
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Duty 13 Manage the planning and/or design process for hand-made ceramic products |
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Duty 14 Work with clients/customers to understand their requirements and creating technical and/or other drawings and plans (by hand or digital) for the product as needed |
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Duty 15 Create samples and/or prototypes to assist in the creation of hand-made ceramic products |
K14 K22 K23 K24 K25 K26 K27 K28 K29 K31 |
K1: The history of craft and how craft has shaped places, communities, and wider society
Back to Duty
K2: The history of your chosen craft
Back to Duty
K3: The economic contribution of craft and the make-up of the craft workforce
Back to Duty
K4: The different types of craft businesses including sole traders, publicly funded organisations, commercial operations, craft councils, associations and societies
Back to Duty
K5: The financial environmentof the craft sector and external factors impacting on this, and the ways in which craft practitioners and craft businesses generate income, such as through public/private subsidy, teaching, community outreach, product sales
Back to Duty
K6: The range of settings within which craft making is used to support the health, wellbeing and education of society e.g. in schools, hospitals, residential care homes, as part of community outreach projects, as well as the practical support craft practitioners can provide during a crisis e.g. the making of extra scrubs and face masks in the event of a pandemic
Back to Duty
K7: The environmental impact of different crafts and the steps being taken by craft practitioners and businesses to operate in a more environmentally sustainable way including circular economy concepts, sourcing of materials, sustainable production and distribution processes
Back to Duty
K8: The range and type of hand and machine operated tools used by craft makers and identify the craft/s and/or materials they are typically used for
Back to Duty
K9: The project life cycle and factors that aid successful progression including customer/client liaison, team working, budget management, project mapping and problem solving
Back to Duty
K10: The systems used to record and manage stock
Back to Duty
K11: The range and type of suppliers used by your organisation and how to research and source suppliers for financial competitiveness, environmental sustainability, and quality
Back to Duty
K12: Know how to store tools, materials and products safely and appropriately
Back to Duty
K13: The key principles of excellent customer service
Back to Duty
K14: How digital tools and technology, such as 3D printing and computer aided design can improve productivity and delivery
Back to Duty
K15: The different routes to market, including galleries and exhibitions, craft markets, open studios, online platforms, physical shops, printed materials such as books and catalogues
Back to Duty
K16: The different communication channels and methods used to reach clients/customers, suppliers, and key stakeholders such as social media, press, specialist networking, open studios, web
Back to Duty
K17: The basic principles that apply to copyrighting and Intellectual Property and how to protect craft items from external exploitation
Back to Duty
K18: The quality assurance methods and associated stages deployed by your organisation prior to releasing hand-made items to market
Back to Duty
K19: Benefits of eco-friendly/recycled materials including different packing materials, their properties and associated environmental impact/s
Back to Duty
K20: The 2010 Equality Act, 1998 Human Rights Act and the 1998 Equality, and the Equality and Human Rights Employer Code of Conduct for equality.
Back to Duty
K21: Health & Safety; regulations including the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER), the Health & Safety At Work Act (HASAWA), the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), and manual handling.
Back to Duty
K22: Key factors associated with ceramic items such as use and function, size, shape, ergonomics, fitness for purpose, and production scale
Back to Duty
K23: The types of clay used to make ceramic items, the unique properties of each, and the types of items each is most suitable for, including white earthenware, red/iron terracotta earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, bone china, fine bone china, magnesium clay
Back to Duty
K24: Characteristics and states of clay for industrial or studio production including slip, wet clay, leather hard, bone dry, bisque fired, glaze fired, post firing techniques, vitrified
Back to Duty
K25: Preparation methods of clay for use including wedging, kneading, pugging and filter pressing
Back to Duty
K26: Different making/production techniques including throwing, slab work, coiling, press moulding, slip casting, jigger and jollying, ram pressing, high pressure casting,
Back to Duty
K27: Different ways that decoration can be applied to ceramic items including stamping / embossing, sprig work, brushwork, decals, glaze and sgraffito
Back to Duty
K28: Different kiln and firing types including electric kiln, gas fired kilns, and wood/coal fired reduction firing, the use of different temperatures and the effect of different temperatures, and the stages of firing including bisque and glaze firings
Back to Duty
K29: The range, types and properties of different glazes and which one/s to use for the type of clay and the specific item being made, knowing when to use pigments and underglazes, biaxal and triaxal glazes, and glaze ‘recipes’
Back to Duty
K30: The different production processes and uses for ceramic products including personal use items, bespoke commissions, batch production, limited run, and mass production
Back to Duty
K31: Design principles including line, texture, size, shape, form, colour, volume, proportion
Back to Duty
S1: Select and safely use the most appropriate tools for your chosen craft
Back to Duty
S2: Use technology as an enabler to make hand-crafted items, models and prototypes
Back to Duty
S3: Use green production techniques, processes and recycled materials to deliver hand-crafted items
Back to Duty
S4: Store tools/materials safely and appropriately, ensuring they are protected from damage when not in use
Back to Duty
S5: Follow the appropriate Health & Safety procedures for your chosen craft, using tools, materials and personal protective equipment ( PPE) in a safe and secure way
Back to Duty
S6: Clean, maintain and prepare the craft workspace/workshop in line with the organisation’s requirements, contributing to a safe and heathy working environment
Back to Duty
S7: Identify the roles, responsibilities, and interdependencies of different parties in a project and your role within this
Back to Duty
S8: Undertake budget setting and deploy controls to enable effective budget management
Back to Duty
S9: Undertake duties in line with project timelines, demonstrating the reputational, financial, and legal risks of not completing a project to time or budget
Back to Duty
S10: Demonstrate effective stock control and supplier liaison
Back to Duty
S11: Demonstrate effective verbal and written communication with colleagues, and/or customers/clients, and suppliers in line with the organisation’s expectations
Back to Duty
S12: Follow the organisation’s quality assurance procedures
Back to Duty
S13: Choose the most appropriate packaging for your craft items to protect them whilst in transit and to ensure items are presented as per the organisation’s and/or client/customer requirements
Back to Duty
S14: Make ceramic items and/or prototypes in line with the organisation’s brief / private client / customer brief / own brief, ensuring close consideration is given to its chosen purpose, end user, market, and budget
Back to Duty
S15: Select and use the most appropriate tools and equipment for the ceramic item/s being made such as a wheel, wire clay cutter, sponges, shapers, brushes, loop and ribbon tools, bats, calipers, glazing tongs, pugmill, filter press, blunder, extruder, kiln
Back to Duty
S16: Apply design principles in the making of ceramic items, relative to the brief including shape, size, proportion, colour and finish
Back to Duty
S17: Select the most appropriate clay for the ceramic item being made to ensure the final item is fit for purpose
Back to Duty
S18: Employ a range of relevant making skills such as hand building, sculpting, throwing, casting, moulding, and tool crafting ensuring these are appropriately selected and applied to the chosen clay relevant to the final product
Back to Duty
S19: Decide on decorative techniques and glazes to be applied to the final ceramic products
Back to Duty
S20: Evaluate the extent to which the finished ceramic item meets the detail of the brief and against the production schedule including efficiency and wastage, quality, budget
Back to Duty
S21: Use technical drawings (created by hand and/or digital) to aid the making of a hand-made ceramic product
Back to Duty
B1: Committed to keeping up to date with industry best practice
Back to Duty
B2: Works effectively with colleagues and others
Back to Duty
B3: Takes ownership of work
Back to Duty
B4: Sources solutions and seeks to continuously improve and develop
Back to Duty
B5: Respectful of others
Back to Duty
B6: Puts safety first for themselves and others
Back to Duty
B7: Work in a time and budget conscious way
Back to Duty
Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the End-Point Assessment. For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, the apprenticeship’s English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is an alternative to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL.
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This apprenticeship standard will be reviewed after three years
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