More than 50 training projects are set to benefit from a share of £17m from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) as part of its Skills for the Future programme.

Launched in July 2009, the one-off funding initiative aims to support a organisations across the UK to create training places over a five-year period, with grants ranging between £100,000 and £1m. More than 800 placements are expected to be delivered as part of the investment, which is treble the amount originally set aside by the HLF and will support traditional conservation training.

Among the projects to receive funding is Training the Curator, a British Museum-led programme that will receive more than £510,000 to train 15 people - at least half from ethnic minority backgrounds. The Waterways Trust, Glamorgan Archives and the National Heritage Ironwork Group are also among the beneficiaries of funding from the HLF to create training opportunities.

HLF chair Dame Jenny Abramsky said: "When the recession kicked-in last year we thought very hard about how the Heritage Lottery Fund could make a difference to people's lives at a time of real need. "The answer was an innovative and ambitious programme focusing on equipping people with practical skills to help them secure future employment."

Tourism and heritage minister John Penrose added: "This investment is a great way of giving people access to practical on-the-job training, at a time when we need to do all we can to give people a helping hand to follow their careers." Image: Heritage Blacksmith Bursaries - Kippa Matthews/HLF