Job title: Heritage education and maritime activities consultant
Organisation: Maritime Heritage Trust (MHT)
Location: Remote with some visits required
Job type: Consultant, part time
Salary: £3-4000 for 20-25 days, 0.3 FTE
Closing date: 23rd April 2025
Timetable – flexible between May and September 2025
Job details
Help the Maritime Heritage Trust make better connections between local communities and the wonderful working historic vessels which still sail around our coasts, inland waters and lakes, and offer great life experiences and opportunities. We are looking for a talented education and outreach organiser who can work with 2 pilot areas to trial new ways of encouraging maritime heritage activities for young people and promote historic vessel opportunities more widely in the locality. The intention is to use the results of these 2025 pilots to guide a further trial series of local projects in 2026.
What you will be doing:
- Liaise with local groups and vessels (with support from MHT) to develop 2 days worth of activities for school/youth groups in 2 locations
- Liaise with local schools and youth groups and deliver 2 days of activities with schools/youth groups
- Create a local exhibition/public display drawing on the above for a minimum of 2 days in each location.
- Provide an assessment, including a brief summary of existing schools work in the sector, to contribute to a potential further set of pilot projects in 2026 and ultimately a MHT Guide on Youth Engagement.
Important further information:
The main aim of this project is to see how best to engage a range of young people with the operational features of historic vessels. We are looking for feedback on what works and what inspires people to make return visits or consider volunteering.
Engagement with schools eg for Years 5 to 9 should be explored and also organised youth groups such as The Scouts and similar. One of the eventual products of the project should be guidance for vessel projects on working with youth groups addressing key issues they need to cover.
A secondary aim is to promote more widely opportunities to travel or crew on historic vessels by providing a local display in the pilot localities, in a way which connects with the hands-on educational activities above.
Maritime heritage operational features are: any "hands on" activities on or adjoining a vessel to include use of vessel equipment eg hauling, pulling, lowering boats, use of tools - all under supervision and necessary health and safety limitations; use of small vessels for rowing, sailing etc under supervision; it could include short trips on a vessel, surveys, examination and restoration of equipment or gear or the creation of simple working models which could be used to demonstrate how the full size vessel works;
The 2 locations will be chosen in consultation with MHT so as to provide a useful range of findings for further development. For example a location in the south east might be balanced by one in north west or north east. The aim is to build on experience of projects with an existing schools activity and select 2 new locations so as to get wider feedback.
Initial contacts with vessels and potential locations will be provided by MHT but the postholder is expected to develop this further through local and vessel enquiries and check that proposed school/youth activities can be carried out safely and meet all necessary standards and requirements for working with young people.
Work location will be home based but allowance should be made for visits to the pilot areas for which expenses will be paid by agreement with MHT.
What we are looking for in you
You will have the necessary qualifications and checks (eg DBS) for working in schools, relevant experience in heritage education and working with young people, creating and leading activities and an interest in practical or operational heritage projects.
You will have experience in engaging with stakeholders and partners such as the vessels providing the heritage activities.
An ability to work flexibly so as to allow for changes in the planned activities (eg if a vessel harbour visit is delayed).
You will have report writing skills so as to distil the main lessons from the project to support further development.
An interest in maritime heritage and experience of historic vessels would be useful but is not essential.
Application details:
Email support@maritimeheritage.org.uk with a covering letter on your approach to the role and a CV including your relevant experience
For more background on Maritime Heritage Trust see https://maritimeheritage.org.uk/
Closing date Job type Temporary Remuneration Contract Contact email support@maritimeheritage.org.uk