Craft technician

Apprenticeship summary

Occupation summary

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 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 or conserve individual hand-crafted items and do so for customers, clients, public or private collections 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 and customer information, and ongoing ordering and control of stock.

Craft assistants would be expected to have an understanding of working with customers and clients and may also be expected to liaise with them throughout the making process to aid in any relevant item aftercare.

Typical job titles include: