As Liz Forgan of the English Heritage Lottery Fund summarised so aptly, “a sustainable future for our landscapes, habitats, buildings and artefacts depends upon the availability of people with a wide rage of specialist craft and conservation skills – skills that are themselves part of our heritage (HLF 2000).” Regrettably, on the other hand, an apparent shortage has been revealed of people with the specialist skills needed by the heritage sector in the UK (MORI, 1998).
A stick-in-the-mud will try nothing new: As we all know from personal experience, often a young career decision depends on what you are familiar with. Unfamiliarity is scary and takes a often a high level of risk behaviour to overcome. Not many young people nowadays have the opportunity to deal with the heritage sector and are therefore not aware about the divergent and creative opportunities of the heritage skills sector. As a result, this project aims to animate young people to foster a career in the heritage sector. It provides a tangible and appealing insight into the work of the sector and supports the young scholars in finding an appropriate learning institution.
Culture & Developments' contribution:
- In-depth study on the education facilities and application of (cultural) heritage skills and materials in the UK. The outcome of the study will be demonstrated in a user friendly and interactive form (CDrom and/or web)
- Public demonstrations and distributions to schools and further interest groups. workshops in the framework of career orientation days and history, geography or art teaching.
The project was carried out in an initial stage in the UK and will soon be launched in other European Countries.
For further information please contact
Anna-Luise Ruttmann: alr(at)cultureanddevelopment.org
.