Our Skills Training Programme
Photo: Quino Al / Unsplash
Everything starts with training. When a new person joins us, they don’t need any experience — only a willingness to learn. Over their first months they are paid a fair wage while they train, so that learning a craft never means going hungry. This single decision removes the biggest barrier the poorest people face: the inability to afford the time it takes to become skilled.
How the training works
Trainees begin with the fundamentals — preparing clay, centring it on the wheel, building simple forms by hand. An experienced maker sits beside them, and progress is measured in small, achievable steps. As confidence grows, they move on to glazing, decoration and firing. Within a year, most trainees are producing work to a standard we are proud to sell.
Crucially, we match each person to the part of the craft that suits them. Not everyone is a natural at the wheel, and that is fine — some become exceptional glazers, decorators, trimmers or kiln-keepers. The goal is never to force a single mould, but to find the skill in which each person can excel.
