More help will soon be on offer to applicants seeking to become accredited as Full Members of The Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC), as the institute will soon introduce an intermediate membership stage to add more clarity to the application process and offer more structured support for the career progress of future conservation professionals.
The IHBC will soon offer accreditation in a single specialist area of conservation, to serve as an optional prelude to the demonstration of multi-disciplinary skills that every conservation professional must achieve to become accredited as a Full Member of the IHBC, as current practice requires and as international standards demand.
IHBC President Trefor Thorpe said: ‘I’m delighted to see the IHBC play such a proactive role in developing structured support for conservation practitioners, helping them secure credentials that are increasingly important in the current jobs market. The introduction of a staged progress to full accreditation means that those many people who appreciate the value of the IHBC’s member benefits and quality assurance can now more easily see a clear route from skills development to professional recognition. What a Christmas bonus this is for our members, current and future!’
IHBC Chair Mike Brown said: ‘The introduction of a more structured route to accreditation through the IHBC marks a step-change in how we can advise and guide our members as they develop their skills and, of course, their careers. We know that as a professional body we can no longer rely on the generosity of hard-pressed local authority planning departments to host the training of so many of our members, and we must now do all we can to replace that capacity.’
‘Adding clarity to the route to full IHBC membership is just one of a number of related initiatives now under way. From improving support for our volunteer network of Branches, as they continue their critical role in recruiting and guiding prospective applicants, to providing dedicated training events for everyone from the interested student to the specialised professional, we’re doing all we can to help guide practitioners to IHBC membership and accreditation, the gold-standard in built and historic environment conservation.
IHBC Vice Chair Emilia Hands said: ‘Our new membership support strategy has been developed as part of the institute’s response to sector challenges that crystallised at our 2013 AGM in Carlisle, with a motion coming from the IHBC’s Past Chair, Jo Evans, calling for more support for future members. Through Jo, our members asked their institute to offer more support and guidance for those developing their conservation skills. Our first major response is to agree this intermediate stage in the IHBC’s accreditation process, as applicants will have the option to address the challenge of demonstrating multi-disciplinary conservation skills sets by taking one discipline at a time!’
IHBC Membership Secretary Paul Butler said: ‘These developments in our membership support mark a critical moment in the development of our much-lauded membership assessment processes, but we must also be sure that we have all the detail worked out before we launch the route formally.’
‘We’ll address the fine detail in the coming weeks and months, but in the interim if you are thinking of applying for membership, please do download our application form from our website and, in line with the guidance provided there, do just start filling it out. That form remains central to the application process. It ensures that our membership standards remain unchallenged, rooted as they are both in the international models that have shaped the standards, and the demand for practical conservation outcomes that inspired them’.
To register for IHBC membership see the links from: LINK
To join the IHBC see: LINK
For details on membership fees (maximum cost after UK tax relief is c.£84, with extensive hardship support also available) see: LINK
For an introduction to the IHBC and for links to guidance on the application process see: LINK
