Major boost to museum skills training in Glasgow
Published: 14 May 2018
Glasgow is benefitting from new funding awarded to a collaborative partnership in the city to develop vocational skills within its museums.
The Hunterian at the University of Glasgow and Glasgow Museums have been each awarded grants from Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) Vocational Pathways Fund.
The fund aims to address the need for good quality, affordable vocational training in Scotland’s museums, opening up new routes of entry and more diverse career paths within the sector.
The one-off round of funding, provided by the Scottish Government, will allow the development of a range of early and mid-career level Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) rated courses that will support the Scottish museums and heritage sector, resulting in a better-qualified, more diverse workforce.
As a collaborative partnership, The Hunterian, Glasgow Museums and the City of Glasgow College will work together to consult employers, colleges and university partners to review current uncredited training and development activity to develop the new SCQF-rated courses. City of Glasgow College will initiate and chair a Scottish Qualifications Authority Qualifications Design Team. Glasgow Museums will also deliver an Employability Programme at the Burrell Collection.
A major legacy project from this activity is the Academy for Cultural Heritage Skills (ACHS), a core part of the redevelopment of Kelvin Hall in Glasgow and a partnership between training providers and the museums and heritage sector.
The Academy for Cultural Heritage Skills will provide a framework of accredited professional skills and learning sets, from entry to executive level, supporting the Scottish museums and heritage workforce to develop their careers and to bring resilience, entrepreneurship and leadership to their organisations and the sector.
The MGS funding will allow the partners to work together towards the common goal of enhancing the experience of visitors long into the future, diversifying the sector workforce and addressing skills gaps to ensure a thriving museums sector in Scotland in years to come.
Steph Scholten, Director of The Hunterian, said:
“Learning is at the heart of what we do at the University of Glasgow and The Hunterian. It is an exciting prospect to contribute to the development of the current and future workforce in the Scottish museum sector.”
Duncan Dornan, Head of Museums and Collections at Glasgow Life, said:
“This support will help us achieve our ambition of having a museums’ service which more accurately reflects the communities we serve. There are many ways in which people join our team and it’s crucial that we open that up to as many people as possible, increasing social mobility and opportunity for all.”
Paul Little, Principal and Chief Executive at City of Glasgow College, said:
“I am delighted that City of Glasgow College has been selected to support the inspiring staff development work that the Museums and Galleries sector in Scotland is undertaking. The importance of the sector in the country's economy cannot be understated. Our innovative role, developing a range of early and mid-career level courses, will help address existing skills gaps and ensure a thriving museums sector in years to come.”
First published: 14 May 2018
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