Apprenticeship training course

Craft technician (level 3)

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Information about Craft technician (level 3)

Craft technicians make, service, restore and/or conserve individual hand-crafted items

• Knowledge, skills and behaviours:
  View knowledge, skills and behaviours

  Knowledge

  • Creative or craft industry: the impact on places, communities, and society, and importance to individuals.
  • Key technological developments in the history of your chosen specialism.
  • The financial environment of the creative or craft sector: external factors impacting it, the economic contribution the specialism makes.
  • The different types of creative or craft businesses, support organisations and professional networks.
  • Creative or craft industry income streams. Such as public and private subsidy, teaching, community outreach, and product sales.
  • Support that craft technicians can provide in creative or craft and well-being settings. Such as schools, hospitals, residential care homes, community outreach projects, historical sites and workplaces.
  • The environmental impact of your chosen specialism. The steps being taken by craft technicians and businesses to operate in a more environmentally sustainable way. Such as sourcing of materials, sustainable production and distribution processes.
  • The types of hand and machine operated tools used by craft technicians within your chosen specialism. The products or materials they are typically used for.
  • The project lifecycle: the design brief or specification. Factors that aid project success: customer and client liaison, team working, budget management, project mapping (production scheduling) and problem solving.
  • Stock management and recording systems.
  • Types of suppliers. Supplier research and sourcing methods. Supplier choice factors: financial competitiveness, environmental sustainability, and quality.
  • Storage for tools, materials and products.
  • Stakeholder management key principles.
  • How digital tools and technology may be used to support productivity and delivery: CAD (computer-aided design) and 3D printing.
  • The different routes to market such as physical retail, online retail, online portfolio, commissions, selling events (markets and fairs), social media, galleries and exhibitions, open studios and catalogues.
  • Communication techniques: verbal, written, and digital; use industry terminology.
  • Communication channels: specialist networking, social media, press, open studios, web
  • Fundamentals that apply to copyrighting and intellectual property and how to protect craft items from external exploitation.
  • Quality assurance, inspection, and sampling methods.
  • The properties, environmental impact, and benefits of eco-friendly or recycled materials used in packing.
  • Health and Safety; regulations. Including the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER). The Health and Safety At Work Act (HASAWA), the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), and manual handling as applicable to your chosen specialism.
  • Design principles such as line, texture, size, shape, form, colour, volume, proportion
  • Ceramic item manufacture key factors: use and function, size, shape, ergonomics, fitness for purpose, and production scale.
  • The types of clay used to make ceramic items, their properties, and suitability for use. Such as: white earthenware, red or iron terracotta earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, bone china and fine bone china.
  • Characteristics and states of clay for industrial or studio production. Such as: slip, wet clay, leather hard, bone dry, bisque fired, glaze fired, post firing techniques, and vitrified.
  • Clay preparation methods such as: wedging, kneading, pugging and filter pressing.
  • Ceramic production techniques such as throwing, slab work, coiling, press moulding, slip casting, jigger and jollying, ram pressing and high pressure casting.
  • Ways that decorations can be applied to ceramic items such as: stamping, embossing, sprig work, brushwork, glaze, decals and sgraffito.
  • Kiln and firing types such as: electric kiln, gas fired kilns, and wood or coal fired reduction firing. The use and effect of different temperatures. The stages of firing including bisque and glaze firings.
  • The types and properties of glazes. Which to use for the type of clay or material being used. The use of pigments and underglazes, biaxal and triaxal glazes, and glaze recipes.
  • The different production processes: batch production, limited run, and mass production.
  • Uses for ceramic products such as personal, public, commercial, industrial and bespoke commissions.
  • Read drawings and interpret prototypes or models.
  • Creative or craft industry: the impact on places, communities, and society, and importance to individuals.
  • Key technological developments in the history of your chosen specialism.
  • The financial environment of the creative or craft sector: external factors impacting it, the economic contribution the specialism makes.
  • The different types of creative or craft businesses, support organisations and professional networks.
  • Creative or craft industry income streams. Such as public and private subsidy, teaching, community outreach, and product sales.
  • Support that craft technicians can provide in creative or craft and well-being settings. Such as schools, hospitals, residential care homes, community outreach projects, historical sites and workplaces.
  • The environmental impact of your chosen specialism. The steps being taken by craft technicians and businesses to operate in a more environmentally sustainable way. Such as sourcing of materials, sustainable production and distribution processes.
  • The types of hand and machine operated tools used by craft technicians within your chosen specialism. The products or materials they are typically used for.
  • The project lifecycle: the design brief or specification. Factors that aid project success: customer and client liaison, team working, budget management, project mapping (production scheduling) and problem solving.
  • Stock management and recording systems.
  • Types of suppliers. Supplier research and sourcing methods. Supplier choice factors: financial competitiveness, environmental sustainability, and quality.
  • Storage for tools, materials and products.
  • Stakeholder management key principles.
  • How digital tools and technology may be used to support productivity and delivery: CAD (computer-aided design) and 3D printing.
  • The different routes to market such as physical retail, online retail, online portfolio, commissions, selling events (markets and fairs), social media, galleries and exhibitions, open studios and catalogues.
  • Communication techniques: verbal, written, and digital; use industry terminology.
  • Communication channels: specialist networking, social media, press, open studios, web
  • Fundamentals that apply to copyrighting and intellectual property and how to protect craft items from external exploitation.
  • Quality assurance, inspection, and sampling methods.
  • The properties, environmental impact, and benefits of eco-friendly or recycled materials used in packing.
  • Health and Safety; regulations. Including the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER). The Health and Safety At Work Act (HASAWA), the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), and manual handling as applicable to your chosen specialism.
  • Design principles such as line, texture, size, shape, form, colour, volume, proportion
  • The types of dyes used, their properties, and suitability for use in combination with fabrics such as silks, cottons, nylons, wools, polyester, viscose.
  • Colour matching using colour classification and colour theory.
  • Composition and characteristics of different fabrics how to prepare them for dyeing.
  • Fabric dyeing techniques such as patch dyeing, ombre, resist, bleaching and tie dye.
  • Methods of finishing such heat pressing or varnishing.
  • Methods of fixing dyes and the use of dye fixing agents such as salt or soda ash.
  • Application techniques such as hand painting, spraying, block printing, screen printing, textile effects.
  • Principles of textile printing both digitally and by hand such as pattern matching or placement printing.
  • How to use digital graphic editors to prepare artwork for printing.
  • Techniques to create visual narrative such as imagery, patterns, design, painting distressing, breakdown, creation of wounds, blood and other special effects.
  • Read garment patterns and translate shapes from flat pieces to a three-dimensional form.
  • Plan and manage a dye bath in a sustainable and cost-effective way, such as recycling water and dye sequence.

  Skills

  • Select and use tools and equipment.
  • Use technology as an enabler to make hand-crafted items, models or prototypes.
  • Identify sustainable techniques to make handmade or hand- produced items.
  • Store tools and materials, ensuring they are protected from damage when not in use.
  • Follow health and safety procedures.
  • Clean, maintain and prepare the craft workspace or workshop.
  • The roles, responsibilities and interdependencies of different parties in a project and your role within this.
  • Identify costs. Deploy controls to enable effective budget management.
  • Manage projects on time and budget. Maintain reputational standards and mitigate legal risks.
  • Conduct stock control and liaise with suppliers.
  • Communicate with stakeholders, colleagues or customers.
  • Follow quality assurance procedures.
  • Apply design principles to the making or production of items, in line with the brief such as shape, size, proportion, colour and finish.
  • Select packaging for craft items to protect them whilst in transit. Present items as per the organisation’s or client or customer needs.
  • Use specialist tools and equipment required for specific purposes.
  • Make ceramic items, prototypes or models in line with the brief. Consider: purpose, end user, market, and budget.
  • Select and use clay or material for the ceramic item being made.
  • Use making skills for example hand building, sculpting, throwing, casting, moulding, and tool crafting or equivalent.
  • Select and use finishing techniques or glazes to be applied to the final ceramic product.
  • Assess the finished ceramic item against the brief and the production schedule including efficiency and wastage, quality, budget.
  • Use drawn plans (hand or digital), prototypes or models to aid the making of a hand-made ceramic product.
  • Select and use tools and equipment.
  • Use technology as an enabler to make hand-crafted items, models or prototypes.
  • Identify sustainable techniques to make handmade or hand- produced items.
  • Store tools and materials, ensuring they are protected from damage when not in use.
  • Follow health and safety procedures.
  • Clean, maintain and prepare the craft workspace or workshop.
  • The roles, responsibilities and interdependencies of different parties in a project and your role within this.
  • Identify costs. Deploy controls to enable effective budget management.
  • Manage projects on time and budget. Maintain reputational standards and mitigate legal risks.
  • Conduct stock control and liaise with suppliers.
  • Communicate with stakeholders, colleagues or customers.
  • Follow quality assurance procedures.
  • Apply design principles to the making or production of items, in line with the brief such as shape, size, proportion, colour and finish.
  • Select packaging for craft items to protect them whilst in transit. Present items as per the organisation’s or client or customer needs.
  • Use specialist tools and equipment required for specific purposes.
  • Mix dyes, paints and pigments to colour match to a sample.
  • Dye selected fabric swatches, to produce colour samples matched to a design brief.
  • Manage the dye baths in an efficient and sustainable way.
  • Plan and work through a schedule of items to be dyed.
  • Select and apply the dye method required to create the effect in the design brief.
  • Select and use the dye type according to the fibre content and, composition of chosen fabric.
  • Apply techniques such as hand painting, spraying, block printing, screen printing and textile effects.
  • Use image editing technology to create artwork for printing.
  • Use finishing and fixing techniques to complete the dye process.
  • Apply special effects techniques such as distressing, breakdown, ageing, wounds or blood effects.
  • Paint, print or dye a textile design on flat pattern pieces.
  • Record dye recipes and log information related to the dyeing process such as the order of processes.

  Behaviours

  • Puts safety first.
  • Keeps up to date with new technologies and industry best practice.
  • Acts in a way that builds and maintains positive relationships with colleagues and others.
  • Takes ownership of work.
  • Sources solutions and seeks to continuously improve and develop.
  • Acts in a professional and ethical manner, embracing equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
  • Puts safety first.
  • Keeps up to date with new technologies and industry best practice.
  • Acts in a way that builds and maintains positive relationships with colleagues and others.
  • Takes ownership of work.
  • Sources solutions and seeks to continuously improve and develop.
  • Acts in a professional and ethical manner, embracing equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
• Apprenticeship category (sector): Creative and design
• Qualification level: 3; Equal to A level
• Course duration: 18 months
• Maximum funding: £14,000 ; Maximum government funding for ; apprenticeship training and assessment costs.
• Job titles include:
  • Assistant maker
  • Breakdown artist
  • Ceramics technician
  • Costume prop maker
  • Craft technician
  • Design assistant
  • Dyer
  • Junior craft practitioner
  • Milliner
  • Studio assistant
  • Textile artist
  • Workshop technician

View more information about Craft technician (level 3) from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.