EAST Enders have the chance to apply for a 12 month paid traineeship in heritage skills as part of a new scheme run by Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives.

Opening Up Archives is a new training programme specifically designed for people who may never have thought about a career in Britain’s archive sector.

Trainees will spend a year working on real-life projects while learning specialist skills that will equip them for a career in the heritage sector.

The Local History Library and Archives based in Mile End’s Bancroft Road, will provide on-the-job training in skills like cataloguing, preservation and research, as well as community engagement and collection development.

Opening Up Archives is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Skills For The Future programme, and is a nationwide project helping to build a more diverse workforce in the field of archives and local history.

In a unique collaboration with Brick Lane-based Bengali heritage organisation the Swadhinata Trust, the trainees recruited in 2011-2012 will be managed and mentored jointly by the Local History Library and Archives and the Swadhinata Trust, and will focus on collecting and celebrating the stories and archives of the local Bangladeshi community.

Tamsin Bookey, Heritage Manager at Tower Hamlets Council said: “This is a really interesting scheme and I hope young people will be curious to find out more.

“Trainees will have a real hands on role learning about the different communities which have shaped Tower Hamlets.

“They will be involved in acquiring archives reflecting the Bengali community for our collections and putting together exhibitions to bring them to a wider audience.”

A bursary of �14,500 will be available for the trainee, who will have a chance to study and network with other trainees on the scheme hosted at archives across England.

The scheme is now open for applications and the deadline is January 21. To find out more visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/opening-up-archives