Museums and universities working together to improve

entry-level training and workforce diversity

Maurice Davies, Museums Association UK

Diversify scheme

Long-term aim

To increase the number of people from

minority-ethnic backgrounds in a position

to progress to middle and senior

management

Diversify scheme

Short-term aim

To provide entry-level traineeships for

people from minority-ethnic backgrounds to

enter museum workforce

Diversify training models

Full-time one-year museum studies masters with up to 5 months paid work experience in a museum

Part-time museum studies masters taken over two years, with two years part-time paid work experience in a museum

Overall employment success

85% of the 34 people who completed a Diversify traineeship before March 2008 were employed in the museum sector at September 2008

Trainees’ employment success

% working in sector at least 6 months after completing training

With two years work experience: 100%

With less work experience: 72%

Quality of employment

% working in reasonable ‘graduate-level’ jobs in sector at least 6 months after completing training

With two years work experience: 81%

With less work experience: 22%

Entry-level training problems 1

too few attempts being made to increase diversity

museums are unsure of the value of museum-studies courses and do not give them much support

Entry-level training problems 2

the museum sector has no effective mechanisms to tackle skills shortages

time, energy and talent are wasted by potential new entrants

inadequate employer support for progression

Improving entry

better, more accessible internships etc increased cooperation between museums

and university courses more entry routes: traineeships,

apprenticeships, vocational qualifications

More information

The Tomorrow People: Entry to the museum workforce, 2007 available at:

www.museumsassociation.org/entrylevel

maurice@museumsassociation.org