Jamie Wignall has been snapped up by Bassetlaw District Council, to work as a Conservation Officer, after graduating with a master's in Building Conservation and Adaptation.
Jamie Wignall has always been interested in restoration. He spent years building a fruitful career, starting as a traditional carpenter and then progressing with several repair/conservation projects for traditional timber-framed buildings. It was here that Jamie discovered a love for historic buildings, specifically how they were built and how they might be conserved.
After some research into how he could turn his passion into a career, he was led to our MSc Building Conservation and Adaption course. His previous qualifications and his wealth of experience in the industry supported his application
"I had some hesitance when applying, as I was unsure if I had enough relevant experience. I had more than enough and was accepted on the course and the rest, as they say, is history."
— Jamie Wignall, MSc Building Conservation and Adaptation graduate
After graduating, Jamie began applying for jobs in his field and was snapped up by Bassetlaw District Council, working as a Conservation Officer. He’s part of a team that manages/assesses development in the context of the historic built environment. The bulk of his workload is case study-based and involves things such as assessing planning applications. Jamie also provides advice to members of the public or contractors who inquire about works to historic sites.
"My time as a carpenter, paired with the experience and knowledge I learned from the course directly led me to obtaining my current position as a Conservation Officer."
— Jamie Wignall, MSc Building Conservation and Adaptation graduate
Jamie described his time at UCLan as short but impressive. He was stunned with the quality of the course and, looking back, feels like all the modules were relevant in some way to his current employment. He commended the level of support available to him, both academically and generally from other parts of the University.
Jamie is glad he decided to attend UCLan and believes his success in his current role comes directly because of what he learnt on the course. His advice to anyone looking at a similar career route is “don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.”
Discover more about our MSc Building Conservation and Adaptation degree, or call us on +44 (0)1772 892444