Call for Partners: Learning Museum 2014-2017
The British Museum’s National Programmes team is pleased to announce a nationwide call for partner
museums for Learning Museum, a HLF Skills for the Future programme which will provide young persons from
diverse backgrounds with high quality entry-level vocational training, champion best practice in museum
collections and development, and create a strong professional network for sharing expertise amongst all
parties.
Learning Museum builds upon the commitments and successes of previous HLF Skills for the Future
programmes: Future Curators and Museum Pathways, and compliments the full range of BM national
programmes including Spotlight Loans, Touring Exhibitions, Knowledge Exchange and the Portable Antiquities
Scheme. Please visit www.britishmuseum.org for further details.
The core objectives of the Learning Museum programme are to:
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Nurture the next generation of the museum workforce, drawing in fresh perspectives from a diverse
cohort of trainees, enabling them to harness the power of objects and engage under-represented
audiences;
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Champion best practice in dynamic collections skills and showcase innovation in museum development
across the UK, ensuring a sustainable future for the museum sector.
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Develop a proactive network of trainees, partner museums and the British Museum, leading to long
term nationwide collaborative projects of all kinds.
Learning Museum seeks partner museums across the UK who are committed to championing best practice and
sharing expertise in current key areas of both workforce development and sector-wide skills shortages:
promoting diversity, community engagement, youth employment, and vocational learning, alongside
innovative skills in both collections management and museum development. Learning Museum welcomes
sector-wide applications from museums, galleries and heritage centres of all shapes and sizes. We are as keen
to collaborate with new partners as we are to strengthen ties with existing ones.
Learning Museum will invest in a new generation of museum professionals and equip them to thrive in a fastchanging sector. Twenty trainees, each in receipt of a bursary from the programme, will be trained, supervised
and mentored at a partner museum for one year. Targeted recruitment will seek to appoint trainees who
benefit the diversity profiles of their museums. Partner museums will assist trainees in developing rewarding
opportunities to engage their own communities with their host museums. Our understandings of diversity
profiles here are broad, encouraging applicants from minority ethnic, disabled, gender and sexuality diverse,
the unemployed and low income communities, for example.
Learning Museum training content will be underpinned by core collections skills and incorporate best practice
in new skill areas developed at partner museums. Training will be evidenced and accredited in the completion
of a QCF Level 3 Cultural Heritage diploma, with bespoke training content adapted to the collections and skills
strengths of partner museums, as well as the interests and aspirations of trainees.
Placements will be complimented by a series of focused all-party training sessions, forming a learning network
through which to share and showcase expertise at partner museums. After a year of work-based learning and
collaborative workshops trainees will have developing collections skills, they will have gained experience key
museum development skills such as entrepreneurship and fundraising, and all of the network‘s organisations
will have developed the culture of the learning museum.
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Throughout the project the British Museum commits to:
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Provide overall coordination and project management of the programme.
Fund all agreed direct costs of the programme, including payment of all trainees, through a grant from HLF.
Support partner museums with all aspects of the planning and delivery of work placements.
Offer bespoke training sessions at the BM (and travel expenses) for partner museum staff.
Oversee the recruitment strategy with each partner museum creating the job advert and recruiting locally
based on consistent guidelines.
Offer QCF diploma assessor training, and recognised assessor status to partner museum staff.
Fund all travel costs incurred by trainees attending Learning Museum training and meetings, through
provision in the HLF grant.
Support partner museums’ management of the training programme, including co-development of a
personalised training plan for trainees; and assessment of the QCF level 3 Cultural Heritage diploma.
Manage and oversee the programme’s evaluation.
In taking part in the Learning Museum programme, the partner museum commits to:
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Host and support one trainee for the full 12 month placement.
Work with the BM to advertise and recruit the trainee through a broad community engagement campaign
according to the partner museum’s diversity profile.
Agree to host open days and taster days for groups of potential applicants, one group interview day and
individual interviews to support the selection and interview process.
Offer a full induction to working at the organisation for the trainee, and offer then the same benefits and
privileges as full time staff.
Host one training day, covering a topic decided with each partner, for all 10 trainees and other interested
partner and BM staff during the year-long placement.
Make a £500 cash contribution to the programme budget.
Assign a committed supervisor who will support the trainee in their professional development, assist the
trainee in completing their training plan, and ensure completion of all requirements and provision of
appropriate evidence for the QCF Cultural Heritage diploma.
Co-develop an individual training plan tailored to the trainee’s needs, jointly designed by the trainee,
supervisor and British Museum.
Supervise and co-develop a core community engagement project, whereby the trainee will be able to
engage their own communities in programmes at their host museum.
Assign a mentor to the trainee from partner museum staff, or recruit a mentor through community or
sector networks.
Arrange trainee review meetings at least every six weeks to assess progress and achievements against the
training plan, as well as address any arising needs or issues.
Provide opportunities for the trainee to shadow other members of staff as appropriate.
Assist the trainee in logistical and administrative requirements for the attendance of training days, key
meetings and events, and invoice the programme accordingly.
Provide high quality pastoral care for the trainee, including career and professional skills coaching as well
as personal support where necessary, and guarantee ready access to a concrete network of additional
youth support organisations.
Participate actively in the Learning Museum network, championing their museum as a centre of excellence,
sharing experiences and best practice amongst the network.
Embed the training models developed to build training capacity and expertise within the organisation for
the future.
Participate substantively in both in programme monitoring (in-house and BM) and in programme
evaluation (to be undertaken by an external consultant).
Ensure thorough documentation of the placement in the creation of high quality visual and digital outputs
to be used in both reporting to HLF and in promoting the programme.
At every appropriate opportunity credit the generous support of the HLF Skills for the Future Programme.
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Project timetable:
15 October 2014
Applications deadline, shortlisting and visits to prospective partners begin.
1 December 2014
Final selection and confirmation of partner museums.
December 2014 (tba)
Start-up meeting, recruitment and diversity training day at BM.
December 2014
– March 2015
Partner museums develop community engagement campaign, open and taster
days to promote traineeships.
BM supports engagement campaign, and hosts training days for partner
museum staff.
April-August 2015
Partner museums advertise and recruit for traineeship: sift applications, deliver
workshops, group and individual interviews. Select one trainee.
BM supports recruitment and interviews, continues to host staff training days.
September 2015
– August 2016
Partner museum host the trainee in full time work placement, host one skills
share training day, and support the trainee in completing all programme
requirements.
BM supports each placement and partner museum, ensuring completion of
requirements, assessment of QCF diploma, and coordination of evaluation.
Please complete the accompanying Expression of Interest, considering closely the call for partners document.
Please return your completed Expression of Interest no later than 12 noon, 15th October 2014 to:
Michael McBratney, Learning Museum Coordinator, National Programmes team, British Museum:
mmcbratney@britishmuseum.org
For an informal discussion about becoming a partner the Learning Museum programme, and for further
details, please email Michael at the above address, or call on 020 7323 8938 (Monday and Tuesday only).
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