HE & FE Establishments

Holme Lacy College has a long and excellent reputation for courses in blacksmithing and is home to the internationally renowned National School of Blacksmithing.
Blacksmithing courses are offered from Level 2 which seeks to lay the foundation for a successful career in blacksmithing and comprehensively teaches the technical and theoretical skills that are essential to becoming a competent blacksmith.
Level 3 courses provide an excellent grounding for progression into industry or onto a relevant university-level course and teaches a range of forging skills from tool making to traditional fire welding techniques.
The National School of Blacksmithing also delivers the practical elements of the BA (Hons) Artist Blacksmithing in collaboration with Hereford College of Arts.
Short courses and one-day workshops are also offered.

Scotland’s Rural College Oatridge Campus

City and Guilds Level 2 Certificate in Forgework

This is an intensive course of 12 weeks for those students who would like to follow a career in farriery or blacksmithing. Furthermore, the course would develop forging skills of professionals such as engineers or metalwork artists. The Certificate in Forgework is a pre-requisite for the Farriery apprenticeship.
Our state-of-the-art workshops and highly experienced teaching staff can be seen at our Open Days. Please visit sruc.ac.uk/opendays. For general advice and information about studying at Oatridge Campus please contact us by emailing Oatridge@sruc.ac.uk or phone us on 01506 864800.

Location: Ecclesmachan, Broxburn,West Lothian, Scotland, EH52 6NH

Duration 12 weeks. The course runs three times each year, in August/ September, December and March.

There is only one way of becoming a farrier and that is to complete the recognised Farriery Apprenticeship.

The apprenticeship lasts four years and two months – working for an Approved Training Farrier and undertaking block release training and assessment at Myerscough College to achieve the Level 3 Diploma in Farriery (work-based), in preparation to undertake the Worshipful Company of Farriers (WCF) Diploma in Farriery.

The 8485 Level 2 Certificate in Forgework is a pre-requisite for the Farriery apprenticeship. It delivers the foundation skills required
for using and maintaining basic blacksmith’s tools, operating a forge safely and introducing the practical blacksmithing techniques of forging, forming, cutting and joining.

This intensive course is primarily for those students who wish to develop a career in farriery or blacksmithing as well as those who wish to develop forging skills in conjunction with existing professional abilities such as engineers or metalwork artists. The qualification is recognised throughout the UK and is a compulsory requirement for any student wishing to undertake a Farriery Apprenticeship.

Location
Preston: Bilsborrow campus.

Duration
12 weeks. The course runs three times each year, in September, January and April.

Level
Intermediate.

Entry Requirements
5 GCSEs at A-C including English Language, Maths and a science for those applicants looking to progress to a farriery apprenticeship. Applicants must also attend an interview and Forge Assessment.

Additional Course Requirements
A keen interest in pursuing a career as a farrier or blacksmith.

Assessment
Multiple choice online test, portfolio of work and practical exam.

Progression
Farriery Apprenticeship (Level 3 Farriery).

Career Opportunities
Students passing this course will have the qualification to become an apprentice farrier.

Artist Blacksmithing is all about hot forging allied to the medium: metal.
Through exploring and challenging the material you will work towards creating a personal vocabulary in hot forged metal. Process, skills and technical understanding are combined with ideas, concepts and source materials, to develop designs. You will be encouraged to view technical skills as the means to creative end rather than an end in themselves, and discover that experimentation is an essential part of the design process and learn that creativity is not solely evidenced according to the final outcomes but also the journey travelled.

The programme is defining and redefining the cultural positioning of blacksmithing.
The result: graduates who are making a significant impact on contemporary forged metal design, both nationally and internationally.

Cultural Studies
All students study Cultural Studies as part of their degree path. These studies help to provide a better understanding and awareness of the importance of culture within their work.

Key Facts:
– BA (Hons) Artist Blacksmithing is the only undergraduate programme of its type in the UK.
– Taught in the largest forge training facility in Europe – The Rural Crafts Centre
– Attracts ambitious and diverse students from both the UK and abroad.
– Master classes by industry professionals, recent contributors have included Brian Russell, Jake James and Peter Parkinson.
– Focus on the development of your professional and entrepreneurial skills.
– International links with the top Artist Blacksmithing Centres for study in Sweden and the USA.
– Regular opportunities to exhibit your creative practice throughout your studies.

After this course:
Graduates become technically expert and critically aware designers in forged metals with a broad range of transferable skills. Many graduates develop careers as ‘sole traders’, setting up their own professional design studios and workshops and producing major pieces of public artwork or objects for domestic, architectural or public environments. Alternatively graduates can choose to become journeymen working for smiths across the world or explore a range of broader opportunities in the creative arts sector through consultancy, community arts, teaching, and residencies and/or undertake postgraduate study – find out more about our MA courses.