Learning Museum: Training Description and Person
Specification
This traineeship is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Location: Galleries of Justice Museum, Nottingham
Role Title: Museum Trainee, Learning Museum programme
Bursary fee: £13,000 per annum (Tax Exempt)
Full-time one year training placement starting 21st September 2015
Aims of the Programme:
The Learning Museum programme is a partnership of museums across the UK
working together to support new entrants into the museum sector who are interested
in gaining new skills and considering a career in heritage. Each trainee will be based
for a year at their chosen museum but will benefit from the network of other
participating museums through regular accredited training sessions and the
community of Learning Museum trainees.
Candidates are not expected to have any prior experience of working in museums
but it is important that anyone who applies is interested in how culture can be
relevant to diverse communities and new audiences, and has a passion for working
with people and thinking creatively about the role museums play in people’s
everyday life.
The aim of this programme is to seek out young people who may not have
considered a career in museums before and equip them with the necessary skills
and knowledge to go on to start a museum career and make an informed decision
about their career direction. By taking part in the programme trainees will gain a
better understanding of what they would like to do in the future, complete an
accredited qualification in Cultural Heritage and gain real experiences to refer to in
future job applications.
For these reasons we encourage young people aged 18-24 who are yet to complete
a graduate qualification to apply. Candidates with extensive experience of working in
a museum (upwards of 3 months, full time or equivalent, either paid or unpaid) or a
postgraduate qualification in a related area are not eligible to apply.
We particularly welcome applications from young people who are not in education or
employment, those from low income areas or families, those mixed physical and
learning ability, and those from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Role Description:
The Galleries of Justice Museum opened in 1995 and is an independent museum
which delivers a heritage experience from within the historic Shire Hall; a Grade II*
listed building in the centre of Nottingham’s Lace Market district – a heritage
conservation area.
The Galleries of Justice Museum is part of the Egalitarian Trust. The Trust’s mission
is to provide opportunities for all to learn about the law. We do this by providing
access to heritage sites, collections and learning programmes. The trainee will
support this work by working alongside staff at the museum throughout the
traineeship.
The Museum is the only heritage site of its kind in Europe and contains two Victorian
courtrooms (civil and criminal), a youth court, a county gaol, dungeons, a police
station, an oubliette and exhibitions addressing crime and punishment, penal
transportation and Narrow Marsh – Nottingham’s notorious slums.
The Museum also houses and conserves a vast collection of over 30,000 artefacts
relating to crime and punishment. The Galleries of Justice Museum attracts over
30,000 visitors per year. In addition to this the education service the National Centre
for Citizenship and the Law (NCCL) deliver to over 12,000 children and young
people per year engaging them in Public Legal Education, crime prevention and
early intervention activities including trials, debates and object handling sessions.
The trainee will work with Galleries of Justice Museum staff and the NCCL team to
support these programmes and new activities such as special exhibitions and family
holiday activities, supporting in administration, project management and partnership
building. The candidate will need to be a confident communicator, who works well in
a team.
Key Responsibilities:
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Attend all Learning Museum training sessions
Attend meetings with Supervisor and Mentor
Complete all required documentation for the training qualification (Cultural
Heritage QCF Level 3)
Help coordinate one training session for the wider programme network
Develop a knowledge of the museum sector
Develop a knowledge of social enterprise in museum and heritage settings
Support in the work to increase Galleries of Justice Museums connections with its
local community
Conduct administration in the focus areas of the role
Any other tasks related to role
Person Specification
Essential requirements:
We are looking for people:
• with passion and enthusiasm for providing engaging experiences for the public
• who are curious about museum objects and the stories they can tell
• who are open to new experiences and keen to learn
• who can show they will benefit from this opportunity
• who are willing to commit to a year-long programme of self-development and
learning
• who are new to the museum sector.
It is also desirable that candidates are:
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reliable, punctual, and adaptable to new working environments and teams
articulate, enthusiastic and conscientious
able to empathise with a wide range of groups
motivated to develop and learn new skills
a good communicator both written and verbal
creative and confident in putting forward new ideas
able to plan and organise their time
IT literate with experience of using Microsoft Excel and Word, or keen to develop
these skills.