Paid trainee placements in top heritage organisations

I am writing to let you know that applications are now open for the second round of our exciting training scheme, Strengthening Our Common Life by nurturing heritage skills (SOCL2). We are looking for 14 exceptional candidates for paid placements in heritage organisations including British Museum, Museum of London, Bristol Galleries, Museum and Archives, National Museum of Royal Navy in Portsmouth, Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums and National Trust, in north west England.

 

Trainees work on a range of activities including exhibitions, community engagement and collection management. The programme is accredited and trainees are expected to achieve a Level Three Diploma in Cultural Heritage. What do we mean by heritage? Heritage can be defined as ‘anything that is handed down from the past; a tradition’. It is also the stories of our past, of individuals, families, communities and nations. The heritage sector is responsible for bringing these stories to life, including through objects, buildings, spaces, documents and oral histories. There are many different stories to tell, though parts of our society may feel their stories are rarely told.

The scheme is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund’s ‘Skills for the Future’ programme set up to increase the pool of skilled workers in the heritage sector. The SOCL programme aims to diversify the workforce, attracting fresh, new perspectives from people who may not have considered working in heritage before. Applications are therefore particularly welcome from 18-25 year olds from Britain’s black, Asian and minority ethnic and faith communities, who are under-represented in the sector. However, successful trainees are selected on merit – not on ethnic, national or faith background.

In the first round of SOCL, we trained 12 young people from diverse backgrounds; ten are now employed in the heritage sector, including Southbank Centre, Museum of London and Lambeth Palace. We would like to offer this fresh opportunity as widely as possible and I would be really grateful if you could circulate this email through your networks.

For more information about the scheme and an application form: http://www.culturalco-operation.org/pages/SOCL2_Application

For information about our previous trainees: http://www.culturalco-operation.org/pages/SOCL1_Trainees

Best wishes,
Patrice Lawrence
Programme Manager
Strengthening Our Common Life
Cultural Co-operation
1st Floor, 4 Pinchin Street
London E1 1SA
Tel: 0207 264 0005
www.culturalco-operation.org