“The Strategy aims to increase the public benefit of Scottish archaeology, and its national and global visibility. To do this, it is necessary to identify and address challenges to the way we work. Delivering Archaeology examines the structures which we have put in place to deliver public benefit and asks whether they are fit for purpose.”
The Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) is pleased to announce the launch of the report for ‘Professional archaeology in Scotland: structure, funding, and delivery’. The summary report includes an outline of the facilitated discussions which took place over the course of three workshops and recommendations for next steps.
The project is timely with the current and future challenges the sector now faces. One clear message from the workshops is that the sector valued having a space to conduct wide ranging discussions with multiple stakeholders and repeating this approach is something CIfA and the Scottish Strategic Archaeology Committee will explore going forwards.
“CIfA was delighted to deliver this project on behalf of HES and Scotland’s Strategic Archaeology Committee. The conversations which took place can help inform the next steps the sector needs to take to meet the challenges we now all face.” Kate Geary, Head of Professional Development and Practice, Chartered Institute for Archaeologists
“Scotland’s Strategic Archaeology Committee is pleased to see the launch of this report and is looking forward to taking forward the recommendations informed by the workshops.” Dr Andy Heald, Chair of Scotland’s Strategic Archaeology Committee
“HES was delighted to support and fund the organisation of these important discussions. The ‘buy in’ from the sector, in the build up to the workshops, and at the workshops themselves, ensures the report is informed by multiple stakeholders which can now be taken forward by Scotland’s Strategic Archaeology Committee” Dr Rebecca Jones, Head of Archaeology, Historic Environment Scotland
Background to the project:
CIfA was commissioned by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) to organise three workshops on behalf of Scotland’s Strategic Archaeology Committee (SSAC) with a focus on the structure, funding, and delivery of professional archaeology in Scotland. Held in late 2019, the workshops (taking place in Inverness, Edinburgh, and Glasgow), supported Aim 1 of the Archaeology Strategy, and successfully brought together over 70 professionals from across Scotland representing 33 organisations. Questions were posed for discussion that focused on the current set up and practice of professional archaeology in Scotland whilst encouraging ‘blue sky thinking’ and the exploration of different approaches. The resulting discussions were broad, and the feedback mixed with a few topics achieving some measure of consensus and others provoking more varied debate.
This report and its supporting documents presents the build up to the workshops, highlighting the think pieces authored by Alan Leslie, Kirsty Dingwall and Kenny Brophy and the online Twitter chats that provided the opportunity for wider audience input ahead of the facilitated discussions. The report presents several recommendations, identifies actions and provides a cross reference to Scotland’s Archaeology Strategy Delivery Plan. The report, think pieces, Twitter chat details and further documents are available on the HES, SAS and CIfA websites.
Going forward, CIfA (in partnership with Scotland’s Strategic Archaeology Committee) will explore how to facilitate regular sector-wide discussions to encourage further knowledge sharing and cross-sectoral collaboration. This will provide the opportunity to carry on the positive legacy of the workshops funded by Historic Environment Scotland in support of delivering the Archaeology Strategy.
FAME Survey Results
“Since the financial crisis in 2008, the annual State of the Market Survey has provided an analysis of the health of archaeological commercial practice across the UK. An initiative by the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) and the Federation for Archaeological Managers and Employers (FAME).”
Click here to download the report.
Re-imagining Scottish Archaeology: structure, funding and delivery
The Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) has launched the report for ‘Re-imagining Scottish Archaeology: structure, funding and delivery’ in August 2020. The summary report includes an outline of the facilitated discussions which took place over the course of three workshops and recommendations for next steps. The project is timely with the current and future challenges the sector now faces. One clear message from the workshops is that the sector valued having a space to conduct wide ranging discussions with multiple stakeholders and repeating this approach is something CIfA and the Scottish Strategic Archaeology Committee will explore going forwards.
You can download the report here (pdf 237 kb), along with the appendices – 1. Project Summary (pdf. 653 kb), 2. Workshop Agendas (pdf. 180KB), 3. Review of Twitter Discussion (pdf 579kb) and 4. Summary of workshop feedback (pdf. 151kb)