This year’s FAME Forum will focus on aspects of risk management in development-led archaeology. As a key decision maker in your organisation,

• Are you aware of the legal responsibilities you carry when conducting your business?
• Or the penalties that may apply when something goes wrong?
• Do you know whether or not archaeological fieldwork is covered by CDM Regulations?
• Or whether your insurance policy covers you for staff working at depths of over 2m?
• Or whether as a business you are covered by appropriate liability insurance?
• Do you believe that smarter procurement should be used in commissioning archaeological work?
• Or that measured contracts in archaeology would benefit the profession?
• Do you want to know how well the sector is performing?

The Forum will feature Russell Adfield and Giles Meredith (HSE) on the CDM review, Tariq Mian (Towergate Insurance) on insurance obligations, Kenneth Aitchison (Landward Research) on Profiling the Profession 2012-13, Michael Heaton (Michael Heaton Heritage Consultants) on the use of measured contracts, and Tim Malim (SLR) on procuring quality.

It will take place on Friday, 28 June at the Merchant Taylors Hall, York.

Admission is free to FAME members and £50 to non-members, including lunch, morning coffee and afternoon tea.

The Forum is supported by York Archaeological Trust, and admission to the Forum includes free entry to the Trust’s visitor attractions Jorvik Viking Centre, DIG York, Dig Hungate, Barley Hall and Micklegate Bar throughout the weekend.

Advance booking is essential. Click here for more details and a booking form.

Speakers at this year's Forum (from left): Dominic Perring, Adrian Tindall, Andrew Marvell, Robin Turner, Peter Connelly, Anthony Sinclair, Chiz Harward

Is there room for a professional archaeological curriculum in higher education in the UK? Dr Anthony Sinclair, University of Liverpool/Archaeology Training Forum

UK governments have consistently argued that the country’s future lies in the hands of a population of highly-qualified and well-skilled individuals whose education has been created with a focus on the needs of future industrial sectors and employers.  This would not appear to be the case for archaeology.  This paper will explore the reasons why the academic sector works in the way that it does, and how it is likely to change following the introduction of higher tuition fees in 2012.  It will also set out a series of opportunities for effective future engagement between higher education and the professional archaeological sector over the next 15 years.

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How do archaeologists learn their trade and what is the role of universities in teaching vocational skills? Dominic Perring, Director, UCL Centre for Applied Archaeology (incorporating Archaeology South-East)

It is a common complaint that recent archaeology graduates do not have the skills required for archaeological employment. But how realistic is it for us to expect universities to provide essential vocational training? What is the use of an archaeology degree – and what should employers expect of recent graduates? This presentation will draw on the experience of the Institute of Archaeology as both a teaching institute and an employer of professional staff engaged on developer-funded projects.

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Training, re-skilling and professional development: developing practical methodologies for better archaeological careers Chiz Harward, The Diggers Forum

This paper will follow on from my recent TAG paper setting out the current problems of deskilling and disengagement in commercial fieldwork (see The Archaeologist 83). It will outline some of the key issues that need to be addressed in order to enable fieldworkers to learn, maintain and develop the necessary skills and knowledge that they will need through the course of their career, however that develops. The paper will look at ways we can ensure that there is a continuum of learning, development and opportunity for all field staff, using examples from the commercial sector.

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Knowing how: sharing and sustaining skills in a skills-based organisation Robin Turner, Head of Survey and Recording, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland has an international reputation for the quality of its fieldwork and the dissemination of the information it holds, but little of this is taught at university. So how do people reach the levels of skill, knowledge and expertise they need to equip them to produce the highest quality results? This case study will examine the many ways in which the organisation shares its skills, from schools, universities and community groups, to fellow professionals and particularly to its own staff in terms of the critically important process of succession planning.

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Acquiring training Andrew Marvell, Chief Executive Officer, Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust

The practice of archaeology in the UK has been transformed in a generation. We are now a profession. The employers of archaeologists, particularly those who are the principal officers in IfA Registered Organisations, inhabit a different world to that in which many of them first worked. Collectively they represent a particular pool of expertise, skills and knowledge. How will this capacity be transferred? Can the profession as a whole succession plan?

Do we need to recognise more clearly the difference between technical and professional skills in the discipline? Should structured workplace learning become the norm and should validated attainment be linked to professional accreditation? Would this give confidence to the archaeological marketplace? How many people would need to go through early structured career learning each year? Would schemes like those used by other professions be appropriate? How well set up are we to deliver these?

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Training excavations – what are they good for? Peter Connolly, Director of Archaeology (York), York Archaeological Trust

It can be all too easy to focus upon trainee outcomes on training excavations at the expense of what the trainer or the manager will get out of such exercises. By re-focusing on the advantages of training excavations for the whole of the archaeological sector in this paper I shall reflect upon the development opportunities that training excavations provide for archaeologists looking to progress from the trench to the chief executives office.

•  Download this presentation

Is there room for a professional archaeological curriculum in higher education in the UK?
Dr Anthony Sinclair, University of Liverpool/Archaeology Training Forum

UK governments have consistently argued that the country’s future lies in the hands of a population of highly-qualified and well-skilled individuals whose education has been created with a focus on the needs of future industrial sectors and employers. This would not appear to be the case for archaeology. This paper will explore the reasons why the academic sector works in the way that it does, and how it is likely to change following the introduction of higher tuition fees in 2012. It will also set out a series of opportunities for effective future engagement between higher education and the professional archaeological sector over the next 15 years.

How do archaeologists learn their trade and what is the role of universities in teaching vocational skills?
Dominic Perring, Director, UCL Centre for Applied Archaeology (incorporating Archaeology South-East)

It is a common complaint that recent archaeology graduates do not have the skills required for archaeological employment. But how realistic is it for us to expect universities to provide essential vocational training? What is the use of an archaeology degree – and what should employers expect of recent graduates? This presentation will draw on the experience of the Institute of Archaeology as both a teaching institute and an employer of professional staff engaged on developer-funded projects.

Training, re-skilling and professional development: developing practical methodologies for better archaeological careers
Chiz Harward, The Diggers Forum

This paper will follow on from my recent TAG paper setting out the current problems of deskilling and disengagement in commercial fieldwork (see The Archaeologist 83). It will outline some of the key issues that need to be addressed in order to enable fieldworkers to learn, maintain and develop the necessary skills and knowledge that they will need through the course of their career, however that develops. The paper will look at ways we can ensure that there is a continuum of learning, development and opportunity for all field staff, using examples from the commercial sector.

Knowing how: sharing and sustaining skills in a skills-based organisation
Robin Turner, Head of Survey and Recording, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland has an international reputation for the quality of its fieldwork and the dissemination of the information it holds, but little of this is taught at university. So how do people reach the levels of skill, knowledge and expertise they need to equip them to produce the highest quality results? This case study will examine the many ways in which the organisation shares its skills, from schools, universities and community groups, to fellow professionals and particularly to its own staff in terms of the critically important process of succession planning.

Acquiring training
Andrew Marvell, Chief Executive Officer, Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust

The practice of archaeology in the UK has been transformed in a generation. We are now a profession. The employers of archaeologists, particularly those who are the principal officers in IfA Registered Organisations, inhabit a different world to that in which many of them first worked. Collectively they represent a particular pool of expertise, skills and knowledge. How will this capacity be transferred? Can the profession as a whole succession plan?

Do we need to recognise more clearly the difference between technical and professional skills in the discipline? Should structured workplace learning become the norm and should validated attainment be linked to professional accreditation? Would this give confidence to the archaeological marketplace? How many people would need to go through early structured career learning each year? Would schemes like those used by other professions be appropriate? How well set up are we to deliver these?

Training excavations – what are they good for?
Peter Connolly, Director of Archaeology (York), York Archaeological Trust

It can be all too easy to focus upon trainee outcomes on training excavations at the expense of what the trainer or the manager will get out of such exercises. By re-focusing on the advantages of training excavations for the whole of the archaeological sector in this paper I shall reflect upon the development opportunities that training excavations provide for archaeologists looking to progress from the trench to the chief executives office.

Rising tuition fees and competition among providers have led to a growing emphasis on employability, but research shows that the fieldwork component of university degrees – never high – is declining still further.

• How can we persuade the next generation that a career in archaeology is not just personally fulfilling but financially viable?

• Is it the job of our universities to produce employable archaeologists? And if not, what can employers offer to develop these skills?

• Can hard-pressed employers afford to provide structured work-based training?

• Can they afford not to – and risk creating a generation of field archaeologists disengaged from the analytical process?

• What can we learn from the work-based training provided by fellow employers?

Held in association with the Archaeology Training Forum, the Forum will bring together practitioners to discuss what we can do, both to attract new entrants to the profession and to develop and retain those we already have. Speakers will include Anthony Sinclair, Dominic Perring, Chiz Harward, Robin Turner, Andrew Marvell and Peter Connelly.

The meeting will take place on Friday, 13 July, at Merchant Taylors Hall, York. Admission is free to FAME and ATF members and £50 to non-members, including lunch, morning coffee and afternoon tea. Advance booking is essential – click here for further details and a booking form.

The Forum is supported by York Archaeological Trust, and admission to the Forum includes free entry to the Trust’s visitor attractions Jorvik Viking Centre, DIG York, Dig Hungate, Barley Hall and Micklegate Bar throughout the weekend.

Archaeological practices and the archives crisis – why the time is right for change

Roland Smith, Regional Manager, Cotswold Archaeology

There has been an impending crisis with archaeological archives for several years. For many developer-funded practices that crisis has well and truly arrived. Many now hold substantial volumes of archives with no available museum or store able to receive them. Anecdotally museum storage capacity is worsening, with little prospect of new facilities opening in the foreseeable future. All indicators point to the need for a radical review of all aspects of archive preparation and deposition that does not diminish their importance as valuable assets but accepts the need for significant change. This presentation sets out the perspective of historic environment practices and makes some proposals for change.

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Digital Archives: light at the end of the tunnel?

Catherine Hardman Deputy Director (Collections), Archaeology Data service

This paper will describe two recent ADS partnerships in digital archiving. The first, with Southampton Arts and Heritage, requires all fieldwork archives in the city to be deposited with ADS, who then provide long-term archiving and ensure that digital fieldwork data can be made available to the widest possible audience. The second, with Wessex Archaeology and with museums and historic environment services in Hampshire and Wiltshire, has used digital photography as the sole photographic fieldwork record, and led to the creation of an ADS digital photographic archive service, with online access to digital images through OASIS.

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Allocation and preservation of archaeological material: a Scottish perspective

Stuart Campbell, Treasure Trove Unit, National Museums Scotland

In Scotland the same laws which deal with chance finds and Treasure Trove also apply to excavation assemblages, with the result that there is a clear procedure which allocates assemblages to museums. Nevertheless, these procedures have simply brought clarity to the same problem that applies elsewhere in the UK, that many museums are reluctant to accept excavated material. The paper will discuss this problem from all perspectives and highlight an increasing dissonance between the requirements of the museums sector and the requirements of applied archaeology and the planning process.

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Preservation by broken record

David Allen, Keeper of Archaeology, Hampshire County Museums Service and Chair, SMA

There’s no doubt that the archaeological profession, all corners of it, has a clear idea of what it is trying to achieve in retrieving information and presenting it, at many different levels. There’s less certainty, however, about the archiving process, despite numerous first class surveys and statements which constantly remind us of what we should be doing. This contribution will (once again) look at the issues from a Museum Curator’s perspective and explore yet more ways to liaise, as well as showing that there are jewels to be found in a ‘back catalogue’.

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• Download this presentation (text)

Making archives work: who owns the process?

Quinton Carroll, Historic Environment Team Manager, Cambridgeshire County Council, and Chair, Archaeological Archives Forum

Archaeological archives are in danger of becoming the ‘elephant in the room’ of British archaeology. We all know they are there, and are becoming a problem of increasing proportions. However, there is reluctance in the profession to tackle it, or even sometimes to acknowledge it, although thankfully this is starting to change. The archive is only acknowledged at the very end of a long process that includes many individuals from different parts of the sector. How do we deal with this and, of all the parties in the process, who is best placed to ensure the best outcome?

• Download this presentation

The historic environment resource in store

Duncan Brown, Head of Archaeological Archives, English Heritage

The Society of Museum Archaeologists, in association with FAME and the AAF, is seeking funding from English Heritage to support a project that will establish the current extent of the crisis facing archaeological archives. The good news is that this initiative is recognised within the National Heritage Protection Programme as an important part of addressing capacity-loss in local authorities. This talk will outline the aims of the project and the NHPP context, while also looking ahead to future issues.

• Download this presentation

Click here for one delegate’s view of the conference.

Archaeological practices and the archives crisis – why the time is right for change

Roland Smith, Regional Manager, Cotswold Archaeology

There has been an impending crisis with archaeological archives for several years. For many developer-funded practices that crisis has well and truly arrived. Many now hold substantial volumes of archives with no available museum or store able to receive them. Anecdotally museum storage capacity is worsening, with little prospect of new facilities opening in the foreseeable future. All indicators point to the need for a radical review of all aspects of archive preparation and deposition that does not diminish their importance as valuable assets but accepts the need for significant change. This presentation sets out the perspective of historic environment practices and makes some proposals for change.

Digital Archives: light at the end of the tunnel?

Catherine Hardman Deputy Director (Collections), Archaeology Data service

This paper will describe two recent ADS partnerships in digital archiving. The first, with Southampton Arts and Heritage, requires all fieldwork archives in the city to be deposited with ADS, who then provide long-term archiving and ensure that digital fieldwork data can be made available to the widest possible audience. The second, with Wessex Archaeology and with museums and historic environment services in Hampshire and Wiltshire, has used digital photography as the sole photographic fieldwork record, and led to the creation of an ADS digital photographic archive service, with online access to digital images through OASIS.

Allocation and preservation of archaeological material: a Scottish perspective

Stuart Campbell, Treasure Trove Unit, National Museums Scotland

In Scotland the same laws which deal with chance finds and Treasure Trove also apply to excavation assemblages, with the result that there is a clear procedure which allocates assemblages to museums. Nevertheless, these procedures have simply brought clarity to the same problem that applies elsewhere in the UK, that many museums are reluctant to accept excavated material. The paper will discuss this problem from all perspectives and highlight an increasing dissonance between the requirements of the museums sector and the requirements of applied archaeology and the planning process.

Preservation by broken record

David Allen, Keeper of Archaeology, Hampshire County Museums Service and Chair, SMA

There’s no doubt that the archaeological profession, all corners of it, has a clear idea of what it is trying to achieve in retrieving information and presenting it, at many different levels. There’s less certainty, however, about the archiving process, despite numerous first class surveys and statements which constantly remind us of what we should be doing. This contribution will (once again) look at the issues from a Museum Curator’s perspective and explore yet more ways to liaise, as well as showing that there are jewels to be found in a ‘back catalogue’.

Making archives work: who owns the process?

Quinton Carroll, Historic Environment Team Manager, Cambridgeshire County Council, and Chair, Archaeological Archives Forum

Archaeological archives are in danger of becoming the ‘elephant in the room’ of British archaeology. We all know they are there, and are becoming a problem of increasing proportions. However, there is reluctance in the profession to tackle it, or even sometimes to acknowledge it, although thankfully this is starting to change. The archive is only acknowledged at the very end of a long process that includes many individuals from different parts of the sector. How do we deal with this and, of all the parties in the process, who is best placed to ensure the best outcome?

The historic environment resource in store

Duncan Brown, Head of Archaeological Archives, English Heritage

The Society of Museum Archaeologists, in association with FAME and the AAF, is seeking funding from English Heritage to support a project that will establish the current extent of the crisis facing archaeological archives. The good news is that this initiative is recognised within the National Heritage Protection Programme as an important part of addressing capacity-loss in local authorities. This talk will outline the aims of the project and the NHPP context, while also looking ahead to future issues.

http://www.radiocarbon.com

• What is the extent of the problem?
• What are the hidden costs to FAME members?
• What is the research value and usage of archaeological archives?
• What are their public benefits, and how can they be increased?
• Whose responsibility is it to ensure they are properly stored and cared for?
• Should we make greater use of digital technology?
• Should we be more selective in what we retain from excavations?

Held in association with the Society of Museum Archaeologists, the Forum will bring together speakers from both organisations to discuss how we can plan a more sustainable future for our archaeological archives. Speakers will include Roland Smith, Catherine Hardman, Stuart Campbell, David Allen, Quinton Carroll and Duncan Brown.

The meeting will take place on Friday 1 July, at Merchant Taylors Hall, York. Admission is free to FAME and SMA members, and £50 to non-members, including lunch, morning coffee and afternoon tea. Advance booking is essential – for a booking form contact Hilda Young, 01722 343444, h.young@wessexarch.co.uk or click FAME Forum 2011.

For the first time, FAME is sponsoring a session at the annual IfA Conference. With the theme Understanding Significance, the conference and training event will take place at the University of Reading, from 13-15 April 2011.

FAME is sponsoring the opening session on the Southport Group: towards a revitalisation of professional practice, chaired by MOLA Managing Director and FAME committee member Taryn Nixon, Chair of the Southport Group.

The conference will focus on understanding significance as the key to assessing, managing and explaining the historic environment.

It will offer a programme of lectures on current issues, policy and best practice, and new techniques and developments in the profession.  In parallel there are practical training workshops developing skills and understanding in a range of subjects and new techniques. Both the lectures and workshops provide essential CPD opportunities for all practitioners in the sector.

The full programme will include

• CPD logs, PDPs and training plans - Kate Geary, Institute for Archaeologists and Kenneth Aitchison, Landward Research Ltd
• Characterisation – where next? - Emma Hancox and Adam Mindykowski, Worcestershire County Council
• Southport Group: towards a revitalisation of professional practice - Taryn Nixon, Museum of London Archaeology and Chair of the Southport Group
• Assessing the significance of iron objects and production remains - Evelyne Godfrey
• The planning jigsaw: how does it all fit together? – Tim Howard, Institute for Archaeologists
• Understanding and protection: the application of significance in the Historic Environment and the National Heritage Protection Plan – Paul Stamper, Edmund Lee and Charlotte Winter, English Heritage
• Assessing significance underwater: just piles of old rocks, geophysical anomalies and shifting sands? - Paul Sharman, Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology and Caroline Wickham-Jones, University of Aberdeen
• Essential writing skills for archaeologists – Alison Taylor, Institute for Archaeologists
• Self employment and business start-ups – Tariq Mian, Towergate Risk Solutions
• Aren’t we all in this together? The importance of partnership working – Susan Casey, RCAHMS and Jeff Sanders, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
• Assessing significance for planning applications: preparing PPS5 – compliant reports for local authorities – Duncan McCallum, English Heritage and Sandy Kidd, Buckinghamshire County Council
• New research possibilities for old finds – Andrew Jones, IfA Finds Group and Ian Panter, Principal Conservator, York Archaeological Trust
• Training: promoting best practice – Archaeology Training Forum
• Widening the audience for community archaeology: the significance of PPS5 – Austin Ainsworth
• Highlights in British archaeology – David Jennings, Oxford Archaeology
• Visualisation in archaeology – Garry Gibbons

For further information about how to book, details about the sessions and workshops, and a detailed timetable, visit the IfA website www.archaeologists.net/conferences.

Discounts on bookings apply until 21 March 2011.

24/25 January 2011

Historic environment practitioners are invited to participate in a series of free open workshops. These will explore ways in which the historic environment sector across England can increase the benefits of planning-led work for the public, for the development sector and for the historic environment sector itself.

Each workshop will focus on a different aspect of understanding and sharing the significance of the historic environment and will cover the diverse needs of the built, buried and underwater resource.

Workshop discussions will lead to a report, to be published in April 2011, setting out a road map for change.

Further details of the agenda for each workshop are available at www.archaeologists.net/Southport. Please let us know if you have any comments on these agendas by writing to the email address below.

To book your place, please email southport@archaeologists.net, by 10 January 2011 indicating which of the four workshops you wish to attend. Workshops are free to attend but spaces will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. You are welcome to attend one workshop or several.

The venue for all the workshops will be the Museum of London Docklands

There will be four workshops, as follows:

24 January

10.00-1.30       Workshop 1:  How to achieve better quality in delivery (Chairs Peter Hinton, Stewart Bryant)

2.30-6.00         Workshop 2:  How to achieve better opportunities for public participation and involvement in decision making, and improved quality of publication and dissemination (Chairs Mike Heyworth and Matthew Slocombe)

25 January

10.00-1.30       Workshop 3:  How to achieve proper compilation and transfer of archive material and improved access to archives (Chairs Duncan Brown and Hedley Swain, to confirm)

2.30-6.00         Workshop 4:  How to achieve a better research focus in delivery, and how to address fragmentation in the sector (Chairs Chris Gosden, Adrian Tindall and Frank Kelsall)

At a later date, a fifth workshop of invited delegates from the property sector will ask how we are to achieve clearer focus on the needs of the client (funding) body in terms of product and proportionality.

These seminars are an initiative of the Southport Group see www.archaeologists.net/Southport for more details.