Look here for older news stories that are still relevant to archaeology training.
April 2018
Historic England and CIfA win 2018 Archaeology Training Award
The 2018 Award was presented at the CIfA Conference wine reception. The winner was Historic England’s Specialist Workplace Learning Programme 2002-2018. In partnership with CIfA, this 16-year capacity-building programme has delivered 56 paid, structured work-based training placements in specialist fields across the sector, and has helped embed the work-based training model in our sector. Trainees have gone in to work in key roles and are themselves now advocates for high standards of training.
Christopher Dore of the US Register of Professional Archaeologists (centre) presented the 2018 Award to archaeological consultant Andrea Bradley and Phil Pollard of Historic England.
The Headland Archaeology Modular Training scheme, which was Highly Commended, is an innovative approach to meeting the varied training needs of a growing commercial organisation working across the country. The judges felt that the use of on-line learning modules alongside practical experience provided training that staff at all levels could easily access.
Both organisations demonstrated in their training schemes the commitment to develop skills and provide experience that would support trainees in their future careers.
April 2017
2017 Training Award goes to Allen Archaeology
Allen Archaeology based in Lincoln have won this year’s Archaeology Training Forum Award for their career entry training programme. The initiative allows trainees – from graduates to school leavers – to spend 3 months in a structured learning programme linked to the National Occupational Standards. The programme gives local applicants a chance to learn the ropes, and those who have gone through the training are now working as archaeologist and have enhanced career prospects.
As last year, the quality of entrants for the Award was so high, the judges decided to give a Highly Commended recognition to Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service for their early careers training leading towards NVQ Level 3.
April 2016
Cotswold Archaeology win 2016 Training Award
This year’s Training Award has been won by Cotswold Archaeology’s Career Development Programme. The programme, which includes three levels of development, impressed the judges both in terms of the quality of the documentation and the level of thought that has gone into it. It was clear that there is a training culture in the organisation, and a real prospect of career development for the staff.
In addition to the winner of the main Award, in recognition of their very strong entry, this year Oxford Archaeology’s Graduate Development Programme was awarded a Highly Commended Certificate.
The Award and Certificate were presented at the 2016 CIfA Conference in Leicester.November 2015
ATF Skills and Training Workshops
Two short-notice workshops were held, in Edinburgh and York, to examine the current state of play of archaeological skills and training, including a particular consideration of the impact of HS2 and other national infrastructure initiatives. A note of the Edinburgh-Skills-Workshop is now available. A note for the York meeting, run in association with HS2 Ltd, will be available soon.
Both meetings were well attended by a selection of representatives from all the main segments of the archaeology sector. The material from both is already being used to take the needs of the sector into account in the Heritage Strategy for HS2, and to follow up leads in Scotland – particularly in relation to the NVQ, apprenticeships, and links between academia and practitioners .April 2015
Skills Passport wins 2015 Training Award
The Archaeology Training Award 2015 was won by the BAJR Archaeology Skills Passport. The Award was presented to David Connolly of British Archaeology Jobs and Resources at the 2015 CIfA Conference in Cardiff.
The Skills Passport is designed to help people at the start of their archaeological career, and links to the National Occupational Standards for archaeology. It can be used by graduates, but also by those wishing to enter archaeology by other routes.
December 2014
What to expect if you study archaeology at university
The revised Subject Benchmark Statement for Archaeology has been published. The document defines what can be expected of a graduate in terms of what they might know, do and understand at the end of their course. Published by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, following a consultation in 2014.
November 2014
English Heritage are running a 5-day Field School in Archaeological Landscape Surveying in April 2015. See the EH Website for further details.