George’s Experience - A Placement Case Study
Text by Joshua Oglesby, placement participant, 2024.
Historic England has been working with partners Shropshire Council to bring Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, home of the world’s first iron-framed building, back into use for a third century. A grant of £20.7 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and funding from the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership via its Growth Deal with the Government have enabled the project to progress.
In September 2022, the Main Mill and Kiln opened for the first time as a brand-new visitor attraction with a café and shop. The visitor attraction is run by Historic England (Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings) Ltd, a new trading company that Historic England has set up to manage visitor operations, activity development, and volunteer management.
As part of the project, Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings has been offering a programme of work placements, providing participants with opportunities to learn about and become involved with the operation of this major heritage site.
The programme of placements offers opportunities for participants to develop skills and experience in working with the historic built environment. It is enabled by Marches Local Enterprise Fund (LEF) and its £2 million donation, via its deal with the Government, to the Shrewsbury Flaxmill Millings project.
The following case study will recount George's experience. He took part in a placement offered in the winter of 2023. George’s placement saw him in the role of “Heritage Visitor Assistant”, where he took on responsibilities such as:
- Duty management
- Event management
- Health, safety and security
- Volunteer management
- Retail management
- Customer service
This case study looks at the outcomes/ benefits of the placement programme for both the Flaxmill Maltings and placement participants and is largely based on the first-hand feedback from George himself.
The placement
While applying for the placement, George was studying for his master’s museum and heritage studies at the University of Chester. He aspired to find a career in heritage yet was struggling to find relevant work experience in the sector. Initially, George applied for a different placement as a part of the Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings project which he was unfortunately not selected for. Undeterred, George reapplied for the visitor assistant role and was successful.
As part of his placement, George worked at the site’s reception where he welcomed visitors, provided them with information regarding the site and worked as a cashier.
Beyond these core responsibilities, the placement specification also promised participants that the role would be flexible to their interests and allow them to focus on something that they felt they could contribute to.
George took an interest in the organisation of volunteers; he took attention to the fact that there was no formal system of onboarding volunteers or organizing shift patterns. Instead, everything was done on paper. George noticed this was labour intensive and creating unnecessary confusion so decided to step in. George made use of shift management software to organize the volunteering rota. This was a huge quality of life improvement for the Flaxmill Maltings project. Managers and volunteers can now easily stay on the same page when changes are made to the rota.
George’s reflections
When asked what he thought was the biggest challenges of the placement were George said he felt he needed to quickly expand his knowledge base surrounding the site and its wider context so that he could answer the public’s questions. He was keen to assert, however, that he felt he was strongly supported in the role and that he felt there was always someone the happily answer any questions he himself had.
George was also asked for his general opinions when he thinks back to the placement. He praised Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings as a “brilliant” place to work and the placement program specifically as great way in which students can get a head start to their career.
Following finishing his three-month placement George decided that he hadn’t had enough of the Flaxmill Maltings. George applied for a permanent position at the site. The position was competitive, many of the other applicants having experience in the heritage field. Yet due to the skills and knowledge he acquired during his placement George’s application stood out as the strongest of out several dozen candidates. George now works in a permanent position at the Flaxmill Maltings and thanks the placement for being his inroads into heritage.
