A group of funders, including The Pilgrim Trust, has joined forces to address skill shortages in a range of conservation specialisms: The Collaborative Conservation Skills Internship Programme (CCSIP).
The Pilgrim Trust writes:
Over the course of two years, the Pilgrim Trust, along with six other trusts and foundations – the Anna Plowden Trust, the Idlewild Trust, the Julia Rausing Trust, the National Manuscripts Conservation Trust, The Radcliffe Trust, and The Swire Charitable Trust – have so far funded four internships in the following at risk areas: books and archival material; musical instruments; horology and scientific instruments and industrial heritage. Many of the skill shortages the scheme is designed to address were identified as being at risk in the Skills Strategy published in 2023 by the Institute of Conservation, who are managing the internship programme.
Each intern is assigned a host organisation which provides a structured placement offering an invaluable opportunity to develop their careers, engage with professional networks and develop practical knowledge by learning from highly experienced conservation experts. Current hosts include, Senate House Library, London (books and archival material); The University of Edinburgh (musical instruments); Royal Museums Greenwich (horology and scientific instruments) and the Museum of Science and industry in Manchester (industrial heritage).
Megan Whiteley, the first early career professional to join the internship programme, is based at Senate House Library which is hosting the Manuscripts Conservation Internship. Megan explained that the internship has given her ‘incredible opportunities to consult with experts in their fields’, she added: ‘This has been an incredible opportunity for me to develop my skills as a conservator and gain experience of the day-to-day running of a conservation studio in a busy working library….. Undoubtedly, the highlight so far, has been my work on MS278, a 15th-century manuscript of Robert of Gloucester’s Chronicle.’ Megan added, ‘I am so grateful to the funders for making this internship possible.’
Greater impact through collaborative funding
As well as helping to safeguard skills for the future and support early career conservation professionals, the CCSIP also aims to increase the strategic collective impact of trusts and foundations who have a shared interest in supporting the development of conservation skills. The founding organisations are keen for other funders to show their support for these vital at risk skills by joining the CCSIP which would allow further expansion of the internship programme. The Pilgrim Trust hopes that its contribution to the funding will help safeguard the nation’s heritage for decades to come by keeping alive the sort of conservation skills Megan and others like her will carry into the future.
Please contact our Director, Sue Bowers, to find out more.
