Project Call: Young Talented People in Heritage Professions 2023

Deadline: 31-Aug-23

Craftsmen (20-45 years old) who work on historical sites or in heritage professions are encouraged to apply for the training in a craft mastery center or with a foreign master.

What is it about?

• Sofina and the descendants of Gustave Boël have set up a platform within the King Baudouin Foundation that focuses on education and training. This platform aims to encourage the development of talent by awarding specific individual grants or by supporting a project of organizations committed to similar objectives.
• In the field of heritage, the Platform wishes to support the training of young talented Belgian artisans in heritage professions in order to accelerate their path to excellence.
• It aims to do this by giving them the opportunity to come into contact with the best professionals and trainers in their field in Europe. The scholarships allow artisans to perfect their skills in a training center or with a teacher abroad.

The call includes 2 parts

• Scholarship for advanced training abroad
  • The aim of this scholarship is to enable a candidate to follow advanced training with a master in Belgium or abroad.
• Scholarship for a duo junior/senior
  • This scholarship consists of two parts: it enables a junior craftsman/woman to follow an apprenticeship with a senior craftsman/woman. Once the junior’s training is complete, he can carry out certain assignments in the senior’s workshop so that he can carry out his own internship.

Financial Support

• The scholarships are awarded on the basis of the actual costs and cannot exceed 12,500 euros/scholarship.
• This amount may be revised if the candidate needs a higher amount to successfully complete his/her training (cost of the material, duration of the training, etc.).

Eligibility Criteria

• The call is aimed at young craftsmen between 20 and 45 years old who work in Belgium. They must be active in the heritage professions.
• Some fields that are eligible are: decorative painting, gilding, glass art, stone carving, ironwork, cladding, woodworking, carpentry, mosaic laying, plasterwork, historical vegetable growing and horticulture (decorative orange trees), pruning of old trees, bookbinding, watchmaking and more.

Selection Criteria

The jury of experts will pay attention to the following points:

• the candidate must have at least five years of work experience;
• he must be able to present his projects from which his talent emerges. This on the basis of photos and references of recent assignments, which are added to the file;
• he must be able to submit reference letters and/or statements from clients and/or entrepreneurs;
• he must work in Belgium or focus on it;
• he must have chosen an internship or a refresher course abroad in a renowned training centre, a specialized workshop, an exemplary shipyard in Europe or with a teacher renowned in his field.
• the medium or long-term internship must make a real contribution to his professionalism, his knowledge of materials and techniques;
• the candidate will be assessed on his motivation: he must be passionate about his profession and strive to fully master the specific craft techniques.

For more information, visit King Baudouin Foundation.