SYNTHESYS 2 Networking Activity 2 Task 2.3 Develop an EU-wide set of competencies for collections management Deliverable 2.10 Publish set of EU competencies REPORT FROM WORKSHOP - A European Competency Framework for Natural History Collections Museum National d’histoire Naturelle , Paris 5th -6th December 2012 Delegates: Rob Huxley (NHM, London - chair) Jiri Kvacek (PNHM, Prague) Rene Dekker (Naturalis, Leiden) Fausto Barbagli (MFNH, Firenze) Isabelle Vandevelde (RBINS, Brussels) Charlotte Labbe (MNHN, Paris) Kristina Gorman (NHM, London) Christiane Quaisser (MfN, Berlin) Michel Guiraud (MNHN, Paris) Mary Luz Penacoba (MCN, Madrid) Peter Bartsch (MfN, Berlin) Background The first SYNTHESYS project identified a need for improved consistency in collections management standards across Europe and specifically a need for a consistent approach to the learning and development of collections-related staff. SYNTHESYS 2 has so far addressed these through training courses, development of EU-CoM (the Collections Managers Forum). SYNTHESYS also aimed to devise a set of European competencies to improve performance, and promote staff training and mobility within European institutions. Knowledge and experience gained during the project brought the management team and network leaders to the conclusion that this was too large a task to be achieved within the SYNTHESYS project alone due to financial and time constraints. The decision was made to instead hold a workshop to define what was needed to achieve such a competency set and how that might be achieved by other means. However in parallel the NHM London had been compiling a bid to the EU Leonardo da Vinci: Transfer of Innovation programme to transfer the well-established and comprehensive NHM collections competency framework to European institutions. It seemed sensible to bring these two aims together and that is this aim of the workshop and this report. The agenda for the workshop is included as Appendix 1. Aims of workshop To discuss and report on the possibilities of a European Competency Framework for staff with collections management responsibility To develop a work plan to deliver a competency framework for Europe using Leonardo ToI funding To develop a work plan to deliver a curriculum of training options to address competency needs and linked directly to the framework Deliverables of Workshop A SYNTHESYS NA2 report on options for the development of European Competency framework. (Below) A draft bid to Leonardo ToI UK for support to create a competency set OPTIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF A FRAMEWORK A starting Point - The NHM, London Competency Framework NHM, London has a Competency Framework in place for use by the 100 staff responsible for the care and accessibility of its collections. This defines the skills and abilities required at each competency level for each staff group. This Competency Framework is used for both individual personal development and strategic planning. It is used for assessing and recording an individual’s skills and knowledge; matching it to their job and planning their personal development. i.e. “What skills do I need to be good at my job?” or from the manager’s perspective - “What skills does this person need to do their job effectively?” By mapping job requirements against the Competency Framework, staff can identify for themselves gaps in their skill set and their vocational training and development needs. The Framework was developed to reflect the variety of responsibilities across the NHM. Each staff member has a suite of competencies identified relevant to their role. This Personal Competency Profile is developed jointly by the individual and departmental management. There are 88 competencies in total identified as core and non-core. There are four levels of competency indicating an increase in skills, abilities and responsibilities from A (Starting level Curator) to D (Head of Collections). A Personal Competency Profile is made up of core competencies together with specific non-core competencies for specialist roles. Having these recognised competencies ensures that all NHM staff are working to the same expectation of standard. This is a major contributor to achieving the consistent application of best practice in managing the collections for the future and facilitates strategic planning at both departmental and organisational level. They also inform recruitment and selection procedures by providing a defined structure for the development of job specifications and enable more mobility within the organisation than was possible in the past. The Framework acts as a universal language for describing competency and specifying job roles and has contributed to the development a cohesive and consistent approach to VET within the NHM. For example the NHM has used Leonardo Mobility funding to assist staff in gaining “on the job” training and operational experience in European museums thus developing or improving key competency for their roles in their own organisation. This would not have been possible without having this Competency Framework in place. What is the need for such a framework in Europe Preservation of and access to European natural history collections is dependent on staff knowledge and skills. The needs of all museums to manage, care for and use these collections are almost identical but the approach to the delivery of vocational training in collections care is very variable. SYNTHESYS 1, through its collections assessments, identified a clear lack of consistency and provision of training forming barriers to staff development and mobility and resulting in notable variations in application of best practice and risk to collections. This project will deliver a means to ensure consistency of standards in training. What are the deliverables of such a project 1. A universal set of competencies for staff with collections responsibilities across Europe 2. A training curriculum to help individuals and institutions achieve the competency levels needed for their jobs What other frameworks or similar exist in NHMs in Europe Germany France Belgium US Canada Italy Spain non known by the group for NH but there are high levels of collections care in the art sector and this may reflect some degree of competency recognition some systems exist and recruitment is based on standard job description + competencies. There is no direct link to training courses a similar system to France with certified training in collections care linked to a framework of competency measurements. Staff demonstrating training to a level could achieve a salary bonus. This applies to federal institutions in Brussels e.g. Royal Library, zoological institutes, not just natural history collections. 3 levels on training course (reverse to NHM levels). Job family descriptions also started. Each staff has defined job description. But again no link to collections care etc. Courses already existing, but not in collections care – new course designed: preventive conservation, not restoration. The group were unaware of any similar frameworks but this was identified as an area to explore further possibly through SPNHC The Canadian Conservation Institute: have a framework for conservators While there are clear rules and standards for conservation – NH collections considered part of cultural heritage since 2004 but are considered lower priority. There is no official training in place for NH museum staff. A strong association of museums has organised conferences to cover e.g. collections care – but only one delegate per institute – communication not good so may only contact one person per institute. Good rules, but not good information for staff – not put into practice. General rules not considered useful for NH collections staff. Similar to Italy – regulations on Science museums also so NH museums fall in between art/cultural heritage and the science museums. Capacity + Czech knowledge usually provided by researchers working on the collections – then passed on, but in a very ad hoc way. There is a school of museology in Brno with connections to National Museum, Prague– no specialist training is provided for natural history – very general only. Universities – more science focus. What is the Scope of the Project? While the competency framework is intended primarily for collections work, could it be used also for staff whose prime responsibility is research? This would extend the scope too far and also there is already a clear system of recognition for researchers within the international scientific community through publication, etc that allows for mobility. The competency principle would be more difficult to apply here. However if collections staff are carrying out collections-based research this could be acknowledged in the framework as a ”scholarship” competency . What are the challenges to developing a successful framework? The following were identified by the workshop: Communication with other institutions not only in the Natural History community but the museum world in general – it is important to enlist their support and manage relations Finding partners beyond this group incl. non-paid partners, co-operation (competition?) with education / professional bodies / other stakeholders- are we offering something that they believe they already provide. It is important to identify and open dialogue with possible competitors in this field. Basic incompatibility – what if it doesn’t work outside NHM London? Will it work within Regional / national laws? Continuation + sustainability – with no critical mass of institutions using it may not continue Making it over-complicated (consider reducing the size) Time + financial constraints e.g. finding links between all various training courses in different languages – a potentially huge task Ensuring engagement of unions / human resources departments and other stakeholders What needs to be done to achieve a common framework for Europe? The following were identified: A need to improve clarity of language in the original NHM framework, remove local idiom/jargon, provide glossary of terms, translate into local languages Training: “upskilling” – identify existing courses + personal training needs. Identify if ECVET (European Credit System for Vocational Education And Training) standardised qualifications across Europe can be developed – possibly beyond the scope of this project but should at least be investigated Needs to be flexible enough to build in new competencies for example for molecular collections, virtual collections etc Recognition European institutions have highly competent staff, but this not always recognised as such. Academic recognition is common but is collections management? Would the competencies developed be recognised beyond our network/community – who would it be recognised by? E.g. it would be relatively easy to for it to be recognised within the CETAF community but would it be Europe-wide? The current aim is to target a limited community (pilot in 4-5 institutions) then lead to CETAF. BUT beyond that there also needs to be Europe-wide transfer. This is beyond scope of the Leonardo ToI bid, but that is ultimate goal. This project should feed into the larger goal– first steps only but final aim is Europe-wide. Need to be clear on what we can achieve in a time- and funds-limited project. Broader community Will the project extend to art museums and other institutions that also hold NH collections? In France: for example INP (Institut National du Patrimoine) already have their own training for museums in general. There is a need to carefully manage relations with the existing broader community (e.g. art collections, biobanks) If we are taking the lead on managing their staff’s competencies there is potential for tension/conflict We need to communicate with these institutes before the framework is developed to prevent it being seen as instructions and “being told what to do” - need to be clear this is not overriding existing systems. Advise getting a partner outside the NHMs-community and build this into Work packages. National Museum Prague would be suitable for such work as Natural history is only part of a multi-disciplinary institution Non-European institutes could be involved as possible associated partners as Leonardo ToI grants can pay expenses for associated partners if named on ToI consortium. Scope of the framework Research in its broadest sense as such should not be included but some element of innovation in designing educational programmes should possibly be included also recognition for research by collections managers should be included. Outline Work Plan The group drew up a work plan to achieve the aims of the project. In summary the main tasks identified were: Competency 1) Start with NHM competency framework 2) Establish what other frameworks exist 3) Carry out stakeholder analysis. 4) Consolidate the framework for Europe-wide and create overall competency set 5) Translate into local languages 6) Create profiles for collections jobs Training Curriculum 7) What training already exists, and how does it address competency? 8) Where are the gaps? What is missing? Where are the equivalents across different countries? 9) Design a curriculum to address gaps 10) Create a training plan (including Train the Trainer) 11) Create language-based centres – within-country workshops – include representatives from human resources / ministries within each country to advise on implementation – then feedback to co-ordinator to say e.g. “here is the French model” 12) Identify learning mechanisms – what kind of training? 13) Create suite of training tools including e-learning (e.g. for students wanting to get a job in collections managers) – target group is beyond collections staff outside institutions 14) Certification / accreditation – CETAF? Existing already with Daubenton. Proof of concept to roll out to ECVET qualifications. E.g. DEST model. Align with a university? 15) Deliver pilot studies 16) Revisions following pilot studies 17) Roll-out These tasks were organised into a series of provisional work packages as follows and suggestions made for content and points to note: 1. WP1 Transfer adaptation and product consolidation: ensure clarity – NHM to look at its framework first and adapt if need be e.g. “conservator and curator” use standardised language + glossary then consortium to study this, then translate to local languages (carried out within countries); discuss in country – how does it fit? Report back to group to create European set that fits all countries; consolidate and create overall competency set; adapt to country and create job specifications; training in how to use the framework. 2. WP2 Research training needs and stakeholder analysis: identify gaps, what is missing? – use framework to identify what training and how i.e. research needs. Not dealing with individuals but jobs; what training is out there and how does it address competence + how does it match our curriculum; identifying stakeholders (need to do this early on from beginning of project in parallel with WP1); hold workshop for stakeholder co-operation. 3. WP3 Training: modify curriculum + address gaps; assign competencies to existing courses; identify learning mechanisms e-learning, 11 etc.; create language-based centres – group training by language; transfer of curriculum etc. to other countries/sectors; pre-vocational training i.e. students, potential collections managers 4. WP4 Creating a credits and certification system: Proof of concept for ECVET qualification. 5. WP5 Piloting and testing: pilot beta-version in 1-2 partner institutions – 2 languages – include a Collections Trust-recommended institution in UK 6. WP6 Evaluation 7. WP7 Dissemination See below 8. WP8 Management: monitoring project progress; deliverables on time; budget management; risk management; website development; organise meetings (1: kick-off meeting, 2: 6m progress meeting, 3: 12m progress meeting, 4: 18m progress meeting, 5: wrap-up meeting) These work packages were modified on the basis of discussion and feedback from Leonardo (see APPENDIX 2 for the final set of WPs included in the bid and their associated tasks ). Dissemination The following were identified as possible tools, mechanisms for dissemination: - Website - Scratchpads – free, existing technology we know works, we have a lot of support - Eu-CoM - CETAF - DEST website (pool of 100 training providers – proven example of sustainability) - Local associations - SciCOLL There was a need to make it clear in any application for funding that a strong network already exists that has proved to be sustainable –for example DEST. Use of mailing lists from DEST, EDIT etc. A good example was the Ambassadors programme under VIBRANT dissemination plan – c.30 people spreading the word on scratchpads across the world. Quality management: It was recommended that the project include a social science partner to test and evaluate. Other partners SciCOLL: OECD-hosted worldwide initiative – mention this – poss. use member as a partner – sustainability beyond project. Impact Impact: short-term (training, career path, collaboration) on CETAF improve consistency of standards – within country + N+S Long-term: creation of group that shares knowledge; mobility – increase access etc. geographically – leading position Indicators for impact: usage i.e. no. of courses implemented, how many courses linked to framework. Rate of implementation in country Post-funding: consortium, framework, curriculum, hand over to CETAF to maintain (sustained) + DEST website. Impact on national VET system of your country: Collections Trust Update NHM London and 8 European partners were awarded a grant of €285,000 to support this project and this began in October 2013. APPENDIX 1 Workshop details Attendees at workshop Rob Huxley (NHM, London - chair) Jiri Kvacek (PNHM, Prague) Rene Dekker (Naturalis, Leiden) Fausto Barbagli (MFNH, Firenze) Isabelle Vandevelde (RBINS, Brussels) Charlotte Labbe (MNHN, Paris) Kristina Gorman (NHM, London) Christiane Quaisser (MfN, Berlin) Michel Guiraud (MNHN, Paris) Mary Luz Penacoba (MCN, Madrid) Peter Bartsch (MfN, Berlin) Agenda Wednesday 5th December (14.30-16.30) Report on options for European Competencies Time 14.30 14.40 Item Introduction to Workshop The NHM Competency framework 14.50 Detail Agenda, Aims, Products, Description of the NHM Competency framework What is it How is it used Pros and cons Consistency in skill level/knowledge? Mobility? Easier to identify training needs? 15.15 15.30 Break 15.45 Should it be restricted to managing collections only or include research, education etc How will competencies relate to existing standards? What are the barriers a) developing a common framework to developing a b) using it to design job specifications successful c) using it for personal development/job framework? mobility d)using it to define training needs Close 16.00 16.30 Participants describe what they know about competencies used in their won institutions, others in Europe Evening: Dinner at Boullion Racine 19.00 Who RH Powerpoint Powerpoint All Discussion All Discussion All Discussion All Discussion Thursday 6th December 9.00-13.00 - Developing the ToI The main aim of the morning will be to review the requirements of the Leonardo programme and see how we can match them and decide on who will be in the consortium and what they will do. We can use the draft bid as a starting point 9.00 9.30 9.45 Coffee etc Introduction The Bid What is Leonardo ToI What are criteria? Examples of other projects supported What we are proposing to do Reason for project RH Powerpoint All Discussion All Discussion All Group work Main aims and objectives What is innovative? What is being Transferred? Competency and VET Pedagogical Materials - do we need to include this? Does the planned curriculum count as pedagogical material? How will we test any of these on users? Characteristics of consortium – who are we and what do we offer? European added value – why are the benefits European rather than just national. 10.30 10.45 Break Detailed workplan, dissemination and exploitation Work packages and tasks – anything missing? How will we ensure that results are used? How will we ensure sustainability 11.45 Impact What will be short term impact on target groups and geographical areas What will be long term impact on target groups and geographical areas How will we measure impact? How will project impact on Vocational and educational training Systems in partner countries 12.15 Budget and partners Funding details (75%!) Who will be paid partners? Who will be associated ? RH/ all 12.40 Summary and next steps What have we achieved /decided Next steps RH/ KG/ all 13.00 End APPENDIX 2 Workpackages of successful Leonardo Transfer of Innovation funded project The workpackages developed are: WP1 Transfer adaptation and product consolidation The aims of this work package are to: deliver a multi-language European set of competencies for collections management staff and to encourage its adoption both within the natural history community and beyond establish the competency set as the main means of defining collections management posts in the sector The key objectives of WP1 are to: ensure that the NHM Framework (the starting point for the project) is clear and jargon free. Glossary definitions will be supplied where necessary translate and adapt the Framework to the needs of the European museum partners evaluate the translated competency set in the context of local and national laws, culture and governance and modify it accordingly to achieve a universal set applicable in all partners define all Collections-based job roles using the competency set developed competency profiles for individual staff members WP2 Research training needs and stakeholder analysis: training delivery The aims of this work package are to: Deliver a curriculum/syllabus of VET training opportunities mechanisms to assist collections staff in achieving the competencies necessary for their role and future development The key objectives of WP2 are to: Analyse stakeholders learning needs to identify training requirements Evaluate existing European training offer and provide gap analysis Design a VET curriculum to meet identified learning needs based on defined set of core competencies Provide access to multi-language VET material on-site and on-line Set up language-based centres to assist staff in selecting own-language courses etc WP3 Creating a credits and certification system The aims of this work package are to: examine the feasibility of enabling collections management staff to gather ECVET accreditation attached to competencies and VET and acquire a form of certification of competence. The key objectives of WP3 are to: Test the feasibility of applying ECVET credits to the curriculum Test the feasibility of mapping ECVET credits onto the competency set Provide a certification system linked to the curriculum WP4 Piloting, Testing and Evaluation The aims of this work package are to: Undertake a trial (pilot) of the Competency Framework in sub set (e.g. Department) of partner institutions to identify issues before attempting to roll out across institutions Ensure that there is appropriate and robust input and consultation with all stakeholders including external training providers, relevant national training organisations etc. Identify sociological and cultural barriers to acceptance of the competency system in partner organisations Gather indicators of success of project WP 5 Extension to other sectors The aims of this work package are to: identify the feasibility of extending the products beyond the natural history community to scientific collections in general and to arts and humanities collections. The key objectives of WP5 are to: Build relationships/networks with sectors beyond natural history Analyse the potential for adapting and extending the competency set to non-natural history museums and other collections-based sectors such as biobanks. WP6 Dissemination The aims of this work package are to: encourage the widest uptake of the products and principles in Europe and beyond The key objectives of WP6 are to: Ensure the project is publicised effectively through several media to a wide audience of sector professionals stakeholders and potential future users Use existing and develop new mechanisms where needed to achieve first aim WP7 management The aims of this work package are to: support the project through efficient management and cost effective budgetary control. The aim is the management and control of the EUColComp project to provide full transparency and control of the entire project to the consortium and the Leonardo National Agency in terms of time, resources and cost tracking. The key objectives of WP7 are to: Ensure cost effective and timely delivery of objectives Ensure clear and accurate budgetary control Resolve conflicts Ensure coherent and efficient collaboration within the consortium Monitor and address risks