I would hope that any community archaeologist is part of, or can call on, the resources of larger professional team, perhaps a county council a university or even a commercial unit.
So having identified the skills needed for the job where do I get the training? This I think brings us back to comarch’s questions about training.
Community archaeologists need specialist training but where do we go to get it.?:face-crying:
WAX[/QUOTE]
You can't, is the quick answer. Not at the moment. CBA are planning to set up training for CAs but when and how it is to be structured no one knows. This is a quote from the CAB on this subject - "We're currently waiting to hear from the HLF about whether an application to their Skills for the Future funding pot has been successful (we should hear in the next few weeks). If we have met with success, we should be planning the programme over the summer, and then allowing for recruitment of both a coordinator for the project and for the first year (of hopefully 3 years) of bursary holders, the training placements should start in early 2010". I am concerned that "training placements" will mean that only those who are still living off the 'Bank of Mum & Dad' will be able to move at short notice to placements and thus the demographics of CAs will be narrow i.e. young (little experience). We don't want career CAs who have no other experience, in archaeology or the wider world (like career politicians). I've seen some of those and it is like being shouted at by manic Scouts (whoop, isn't this great fun!) - aaargh. Its a matter of doing what you can and building up experience, mostly for nothing or small fees. We have to make our own work. Hopefully this will change and, as I have said before, this area of the profession will firm up and be central to archaeological practise in the 21st century. I feel on my own and with no support and still expected to work for nothing and that has to change for the sake of the public we are trying to serve. I have worked for County Councils and Units but only for short term projects and thus it is hard to build up a body of work over a long period.
So having identified the skills needed for the job where do I get the training? This I think brings us back to comarch’s questions about training.
Community archaeologists need specialist training but where do we go to get it.?:face-crying:
WAX[/QUOTE]
You can't, is the quick answer. Not at the moment. CBA are planning to set up training for CAs but when and how it is to be structured no one knows. This is a quote from the CAB on this subject - "We're currently waiting to hear from the HLF about whether an application to their Skills for the Future funding pot has been successful (we should hear in the next few weeks). If we have met with success, we should be planning the programme over the summer, and then allowing for recruitment of both a coordinator for the project and for the first year (of hopefully 3 years) of bursary holders, the training placements should start in early 2010". I am concerned that "training placements" will mean that only those who are still living off the 'Bank of Mum & Dad' will be able to move at short notice to placements and thus the demographics of CAs will be narrow i.e. young (little experience). We don't want career CAs who have no other experience, in archaeology or the wider world (like career politicians). I've seen some of those and it is like being shouted at by manic Scouts (whoop, isn't this great fun!) - aaargh. Its a matter of doing what you can and building up experience, mostly for nothing or small fees. We have to make our own work. Hopefully this will change and, as I have said before, this area of the profession will firm up and be central to archaeological practise in the 21st century. I feel on my own and with no support and still expected to work for nothing and that has to change for the sake of the public we are trying to serve. I have worked for County Councils and Units but only for short term projects and thus it is hard to build up a body of work over a long period.