Internet Archaeology 12. Collis.

Conclusions

We can expect the Thesaurus to be informed by the results of the Roles/Skills project, but this should be a task for the IFA through its Validation Committee (for general areas), and the Higher Education Sub-Committee for the academic aspects largely taught in universities. The latter will also have to deal with recognition of university courses, if that is the route we decide to go down, whereas the non-university courses will have to be channelled through the Professional Training Committee of the IFA and the Archaeology Training Forum (a national committee set up under the aegis of English Heritage, on which all archaeological employers, government bodies, professional organisations and providers of training are represented). However, considerable co-operation will be needed between the various committees dealing with training and validation, across the university-professional divide. However, initial reactions show there is considerable interest on both sides in finding a common way forward.

Britain is fortunate in having a professional institute for archaeology (the IFA) as well as a number of central committees and organisations which are concerned with training, for example: the Subject Committee for Archaeology (SCFA) - where the university departments can discuss mutual problems and exchange ideas; the Learning and Training Support Network (LTSN), set up with government funding and aimed at promoting best practice in teaching; the Cultural Heritage National Training Organisation (CHNTO), also government funded (though in the process of being re-organised) which deals with vocational training; and the Archaeology Training Forum discussed above. In the USA, the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) performs many of the tasks covered by the British committees. However, many countries lack such organisations, and at an international level we need to encourage our colleagues to tackle these matters within the very varied institutional frameworks operating in each country. At a European level, the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) is already providing a forum for discussion, and plans are also going ahead for sessions at the World Archaeology Congress (WAC). The training and education of archaeologists is indeed becoming a world-wide matter.

PREVIOUS NEXT CONTENTS HOME