- Chandos Business Centre, 87 Warwick Street, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV32 4RJ
About Us
About Dormant Trade Skills
Dormant Trade Skills was created from a simple observation: experienced tradespeople still hold valuable knowledge, young people need practical routes into work, and communities have maintenance needs that are not being fully met.
DTS brings those things together through supervised real work, paid participation and practical mentoring.
WHY DORMANT TRADE SKILLS EXISTS
Why The Programme Was Created
Across the UK, skilled tradespeople are retiring, reducing their hours or leaving site work altogether. Much of their practical knowledge is not written down, taught in classrooms or easily replaced.
At the same time, many young adults need a more practical route into work. Some struggle with classroom-based provision, but respond far better when learning is linked to real tasks, routine, responsibility and visible progress.
Dormant Trade Skills was created to close that gap by turning suitable real maintenance work into the training environment.
The Missing Trainer Problem
Who Will Train the Practical Workforce We Actually Need?
Much of the national conversation around construction skills focuses on new housebuilding. That matters, but it is only part of the problem.
Across the country, millions of existing homes also need repair, maintenance, ventilation improvements, damp prevention, basic upgrades and practical care. These jobs often require broad, hands-on maintenance skills rather than a single narrow trade.
The difficulty is that many of the people best placed to teach those skills are older, semi-retired or no longer working full-time on site. At the same time, many small builders and sole traders do not have the time, structure or financial capacity to take on and properly mentor young adults who need more support.
Dormant Trade Skills was created to help solve that missing trainer problem by bringing experienced tradespeople back into structured, paid mentoring roles and using suitable real maintenance work as the training environment.
Our Approach
A work-led approach
DTS is not built around simulated tasks or short work-experience placements. It is built around real maintenance jobs, carefully selected so they can be delivered safely, professionally and with proper supervision.
Experienced tradespeople are employed as Trade Mentors. Young participants work as Trade Associates. Learning happens through doing useful work properly, with guidance, repetition and clear standards.
Founder Credibility
Built from Education and Real Trade Experience
Dormant Trade Skills has been developed by Natalie Stewart and Jonathan Gadsden, bringing together education, SEND support, practical construction experience, property knowledge and alternative routes into vocational achievement.
Natalie is a qualified teacher with a first-class Master’s degree in Physics from Oxford. She has a strong track record of helping young people achieve academically, while also working with young people who need more individualised support, including SEND and out-of-school provision.
Jonathan brings over 30 years of practical experience across construction, property maintenance, damp and mould diagnosis, ventilation, refurbishment, property investment and supported housing. His own route was not conventionally academic, which gives him a direct understanding of why some capable people need practical, work-led routes into confidence, skill and employment.
Together, Natalie and Jonathan bring both sides of the Dormant Trade Skills model: the educational and pastoral understanding needed to support young adults, and the practical trade credibility needed to deliver real work safely, professionally and properly.
Professional and Accountable Delivery
Dormant Trade Skills is designed to be practical, but not informal. The programme needs clear boundaries, safeguarding, quality control and reporting so that participants, mentors, customers and partners are properly protected.
- Trade Mentors have defined roles and responsibilities
- Trade Associates are supervised on site
- Work is selected to suit training and delivery standards
- Safeguarding and quality assurance are built into the model
- Outcomes can be monitored and reported to funding partners
This structure protects participants, mentors, customers, and partners.
Who We Work With
Working in partnership
DTS is designed to work alongside councils, funders, housing providers, community organisations and local employers. The model can support youth employment, community maintenance, practical skills development and measurable social value.
- Local authorities and commissioning bodies
- National, regional and local funding partners
- Housing providers and community organisations
- Referral partners working with young adults
- Experienced tradespeople and local employers
- Households or organisations with suitable maintenance work
The programme is designed to complement existing provision and adapt to local needs.
OUR VALUES
What Guides Our Work
Dormant Trade Skills is guided by a small number of practical principles:
- Practical before theoretical
- Paid participation, not unpaid labour
- Mentor-led learning
- Useful local work
- Clear supervision and safeguarding
- Measurable outcomes
- Respect for older skills and younger potential
Contact Us
Learn more about Dormant Trade Skills
Whether you are a council, funder, community organisation, experienced tradesperson, referral partner, young adult or someone with suitable maintenance work, we would be pleased to hear from you.
Dormant Trade Skills turns suitable local maintenance work into paid, supervised training opportunities by connecting young adults with experienced tradespeople who still have knowledge to pass on.
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Find Out More
Contact Details
If you have questions you can contact us
- Chandos Business Centre, 87 Warwick Street, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV32 4RJ
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