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January 2009
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The most common model for a traineeship is for the trainee to undertake a part-time placement and study part-time for a postgraduate museum studies qualification at a university. 'The trainee gained from being able to work on a wide variety of projects. Her main achievements were researching for a major exhibition, curating a small exhibition and developing her writing and communication skills.' Finance The largest cost is payment to the trainee, which is paid as a bursary towards living expenses. Other costs include course fees, related expenses and advertising costs. MLA and the regional Hubs are able to contribute funding through Renaissance to museums to help part-fund traineeships. However, some museums are able to fully fund traineeships from their own resources. This can involve being creative with how you look at budgets, but it can be done. Legal issues Positive action is the term used for measures taken under sections 37 and 38 of the Race Relations Act 1976. Click here for more information about positive action It is essential that host venues take legal advice when setting up a traineeship in addition to the advice given in the Diversify Toolkit Click here to download the Diversify Toolkit (pdf) Approval Positive action can be a sensitive subject and it is important to win the support of senior people, including at governing body level. If the museum is part of a larger organisation such as a local authority or university it is essential to work with the personnel department, who may be able to offer help and support. It may also be necessary to sound out any local trade union representatives. Supervision Supervision commitment to support the trainee is very important. This will ensure that the trainee can pursue the course and gain experience and skills on the placement without too much pressure from time-conflicting objectives and tasks. Team working It is good practice to ensure that the trainee is part of a bigger team and not singled out. Training in or with other relevant departments or on job rotation often creates more effective placement. Training programme Research shows that trainees benefit most when they are offered considerable delegated responsibilities (The Impact of Positive Action Traineeships, Gaby Porter Associates, 2004). Details on setting up a training programme can be found in the Diversify Toolkit. Click here to download the Diversify Toolkit (pdf) Personnel department Developing the traineeship, providing specifications for the role, recruiting the person, monitoring progress and appraising performance are all areas where the personnel department can help. Implications for the museum's equal opportunity and diversity policy have to be considered and documented. Mentoring Allocating someone to support the trainee can help both the trainee and the organisation. This could be an external mentor who acts as a role-model or a colleague who can act as a listener or sounding board. It is important to spend time and effort finding a suitable mentor. The Diversify mentoring scheme offers trainees an external mentor, with experience of being a participant in Diversify. Advertising You want to attract and recruit from as wide a field as possible so think about advertising your training opportunities in the national press, local newspapers, minority-ethnic press and Museums Journal. Also consider universities, careers services, graduate recruitment fairs and websites. To ensure that your training opportunities reach a wide audience, circulate advertisements to networking contacts. The Museums Association can help with advice on networks. Interviews Selection of candidates for interviews must be based on a set of appropriate criteria for both the traineeship role and higher education requirements. Try and ensure that minority-ethnic and independent assessors are included in the interview panel. The Diversify Toolkit has more detailed guidance on how to set up a traineeship. If you want further advice in any of these areas, the Museums Association will be able to help - so please contact us. Click here to download the Diversify Toolkit (pdf) ^ TOP
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