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Skills Gaps, Shortages and Needs in the Heritage Science Sector

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Skills Gaps, Shortages and Needs in the Heritage Science Sector SKILLS GAPS, SHORTAGES AND NEEDS IN THE HERITAGE SCIENCE SECTOR INTRODUCTION This report examines skills gaps in the heritage science sector. The sources consulted are relevant to the heritage sector as a whole, but only information relevant to heritage science is included here. The report is divided into three sections. Section 1 deals with skills and gaps in the conservation sector and is based on information drawn from the Institute of Conservation’s report Conservation Labour Market Intelligence 2012–13 (Aitchison, 2013), while section two covers specific workplace skills gaps throughout the heritage sector, drawn primarily from NHSS – Report 3 - Understanding capacity in the heritage science sector (Williams, 2009c). Supplementary information from The Historic Environment and Cultural Heritage Skills Survey (CCSkills, 2013) has been included in both sections. 3, drawn largely from National and European strategies relevant to heritage science, lists more general issues that, although not specific skills gaps, can be translated as current and future needs across the heritage science sector. The final section details the work of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Science and Engineering in Arts, Heritage and Archaeology (SEAHA)1 in addressing many of the identified skills gaps through its student training. A full list of sources consulted has been provided in section 5. It should be understood that this area is dynamic, rather than static and that skills gaps are starting to be addressed as new initiatives come into play. Since the reports on skills gaps referenced below were written, SEAHA has been making substantial inroads in filling the gaps in scientific and analytical skills with its innovative training programme. From April 2017, a European Research Council grant to UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage2 will advance knowledge and skills in modern materials. 1. SKILLS AND GAPS IN THE CONSERVATION SECTOR 1.1 PROFESSIONAL TRANSFERRABLE SKILLS New entrants Serious skills gaps3 were found in: Business skills; leadership; people management; project management Established staff Serious skills gaps were found in: Business skills; information technology skills; leadership; project management The CCSkills survey identified skills gaps among staff including communication, customer care, team work, time management, planning/organisation, commercial awareness/business acumen and the ability to work under pressure. Digital technology skills were cited as a specific gap including: communicating with audiences and stakeholders, on-line education resources, and handling born digital collections and data. It should be noted that these skills gaps are found across the heritage sector and are not merely specific to conservation. 1 http://www.seaha-cdt.ac.uk/ 2 https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/heritage/ 3 Skills gaps were defined as ‘skills that existing staff need but lack’ and therefore identify training priorities. Skills shortages occurred where ‘employers cannot find job applicants with the right skills’ often leading to external specialists being brought in. (CCSkills 2010; Skillset 2001, cited p7). 1 1.2 SPECIALIST PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION New entrants Serious or significant skills gaps were found in 12 out of 194 areas: Time-based media; digital media; modern materials; clocks watches and scientific instruments; ethnographic materials; stone and wall paintings; stained glass; textiles; gilding and decorative surfaces; furniture and wood; archaeological materials; archives Established staff Serious or significant skills gaps were found in 7 out of 19 areas: Time-based media; digital media; modern materials; clocks, watches and scientific instruments; photographic materials; natural history and biological specimens 1.3 INTERVENTIVE CONSERVATION SERVICES Serious skills shortages were found in 1 out of 19 areas: Clocks, watches and scientific instruments Significant skills shortages were found in 9 out of 19 areas: Books; furniture & wood; gilding/decorative surfaces; metals; painting; photographic materials; stained glass; textiles; time-based media 1.4 CONSERVATION TRAINING AND EDUCATION 1.4.1 Training Provision Specialist preventive conservation Few providers were found for training in time-based media, stained glass; stone and wall paintings Interventive conservation Few providers were found for digital media and time-based media Significant skills shortages in books; furniture and wood; paintings; stone and wall paintings; and textiles and also in the provision of training for scientific or analytical services 1.4.2 Gaps in the skills and knowledge required to train others Specialist preventive conservation Skills gaps in existing staff were found in 12 out of 19 areas: Serious gaps - furniture and wood and time-based media Significant gaps – archives; books; ceramics and glass; digital media; gilding and decorative surfaces; modern materials; paintings; stained glass; stone and wall paintings; textiles Interventive conservation Skills gaps were found in 3 areas: Serious gaps - digital media; furniture and wood; modern materials Significant skills gap in training for the provision of scientific or analytical services 4 The 19 specific categories used in the Icon survey are: Archaeological materials; archives; books; ceramics and glass; clocks, watches and scientific instruments; digital media; ethnographic materials; furniture and wood; gilding and decorative surfaces; metals; modern materials; natural history and biological specimens; paintings; paper; photographic materials; stained glass; stone and wall paintings; textiles; time-based media. 2 1.5 SCIENTIFIC AND ANALYTICAL SERVICES Overall, relatively few organisations provided scientific or analytical services and no respondents were found who provided these services for the conservation of books or for time-based media. 1.5.1 Skills gaps in particular areas of scientific or analytical services Existing staff - skills gaps in 10 areas: Serious skills gaps: digital media; stained glass; textiles Significant skills gaps: archaeological materials; ceramics and glass; ethnographic materials; furniture and wood; gilding and decorative surfaces; metals; photographic materials; stone and wall paintings New entrants - skills gaps in 9 areas: Serious skills gaps: clock; watches and scientific instruments; ethnographic materials; metals; modern materials; natural history and biological specimens Significant skills gaps: archaeological materials; ceramics and glass; gilding and decorative surfaces; paintings 1.5.2 Training priorities for the provision of scientific and analytical services Areas where skills were bought in (representing skills shortages) - 9 areas: Serious skills shortages: digital media; furniture and wood Significant skills shortages: gilding and decorative surfaces; metals; modern materials; paintings; paper; photographic materials; stone and wall paintings Invested in training (representing skills gaps) - 13 areas: Serious skills gaps: digital media; gilding and decorative surfaces; modern materials; natural history and biological specimens; paintings and stained glass Significant skills gaps: archaeological materials; ceramics and glass; ethnographic materials; furniture and wood; paper; stone and wall paintings In almost every area, at least one organisation wanted to improve their future skills capacity and more organisations wanted to improve capacity in applying scientific or analytical services to modern materials than provided that service. 2. SPECIFIC GAPS IN CAPACITY ACROSS THE HERITAGE SECTOR NHSS Report 3 identified key specific skills gaps and shortages for 3 sub-sectors of heritage science: 2.1 MOVEABLE HERITAGE Issues exist in finding staff with a suitable mix of skills, experience and knowledge, although there are few issues in recruiting staff per se. The most critical shortages are in conservation and collection care of plastics and modern materials and analysis of organic materials and pollutants. There are insufficient organic and polymer chemists entering conservation and conservation science. Specific reported shortages include: o Science-based advice for conservation/collection care of plastics and modern materials 3 o Analysis of organic materials o Monitoring gaseous pollutants and general environmental monitoring o Testing display cases for air tightness o Paint (pigment and medium) analysis 2.2 HISTORIC BUILT ENVIRONMENT Few dedicated, full-time specialists work in this area: most also work in other disciplines and are located in non-heritage departments, potentially making specialist help difficult to locate. Specific reported shortages were found in: o Materials analysis (stone, brick mortar) and material degradation o Building physics / environments and improving the energy efficiency of historic buildings without causing damage 2.3 ARCHAEOLOGY Capacity is generally adequate but shortages are due in part to the lack of a well-focussed research agenda and thus of available funding Specific reported shortages were found in: o Environmental archaeology o Materials science (particularly for UK archaeology) o Chronological modelling o Biomolecular studies 2.4 HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURAL HERITAGE SKILLS SURVEY The CCSkills survey identified additional, general skills gaps across the heritage sector. By sub-sector as defined by the publication these included: Archaeology: Invasive and non-invasive field work skills, archaeological science, desk-based or environmental assessment skills, cataloguing
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