31st October 2008, 10:39 AM
Hi Austin Ainsworth,
My employer is a local authority, not a company. The team of archaeologists is about 40 strong. Everyone has an annual Staff Development Review, which includes identifying training and development needs that will be met the following year.
The training and development might include: formal IT training (i.e. MS suite and corporate GIS) and personal training courses (e.g. team leading, dealing with difficult customers etc.) - these first two types are run by the local authority as training for all its employees. Otherwise staff might attend: formal training courses in professional archaeological skills (e.g. principles of undertaking risk assessments for new situations) and formal technical training courses in archaeological methods (e.g. surveying historic buildings, earthwork survey). Staff seek to develop their specialist professional knowledge through academic conferences (e.g. Medieval Pottery Research Group conference etc.). But the 'personal development' element is broader than this, so staff develop their professional and academic knowledge through attending 'professional' conferences (such as the IfA Conference) or 'academic' conferences (TAG, Prehistoric Society conference, etc.).
I think that covers the formal training - courses and conferences - but a lot of other elements of an individual's identified training plan might be in-house.
Hal Dalwood
Bad archaeologist, worse husband
My employer is a local authority, not a company. The team of archaeologists is about 40 strong. Everyone has an annual Staff Development Review, which includes identifying training and development needs that will be met the following year.
The training and development might include: formal IT training (i.e. MS suite and corporate GIS) and personal training courses (e.g. team leading, dealing with difficult customers etc.) - these first two types are run by the local authority as training for all its employees. Otherwise staff might attend: formal training courses in professional archaeological skills (e.g. principles of undertaking risk assessments for new situations) and formal technical training courses in archaeological methods (e.g. surveying historic buildings, earthwork survey). Staff seek to develop their specialist professional knowledge through academic conferences (e.g. Medieval Pottery Research Group conference etc.). But the 'personal development' element is broader than this, so staff develop their professional and academic knowledge through attending 'professional' conferences (such as the IfA Conference) or 'academic' conferences (TAG, Prehistoric Society conference, etc.).
I think that covers the formal training - courses and conferences - but a lot of other elements of an individual's identified training plan might be in-house.
Hal Dalwood
Bad archaeologist, worse husband