The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded more than £13m in additional funding to expand skills projects in the UK.

The awards have been made through its Skills for the Future and Training Bursaries programmes and will provide 788 new placements by 2015.

Dame Jenny Abramsky, chair of HLF said: “This extra money expands our tailored skills programmes at a time when demand for training opportunities is high.”

In December 2011 HLF invited the 54 Skills for the Future projects, and 10 Training Bursaries projects to apply for the additional funding.  Of these 43 Skills for the Future and eight Training Bursaries providers applied and were all awarded additional funding.

Almost £10m is being invested in Skills for the Future projects that provide work-based placements that help people gain skills needed to work in the heritage sector, such as funding seven additional trainees at a new skills centre in Lincoln Castle. Training Bursaries programmes, including the Lemur Training Bursary scheme run by Herefordshire Nature Trust, provide accredited on-the-job training courses and will share £4m.

Both programmes are now closed to new applications from charities but following a recent consultation HLF plans to launch an open skills programme alter this year.