ACIfA applicants must provide a statement outlining their employed or voluntary roles and say how their current role demonstrates the four areas of the competence matrix, see below. It is the most important part of your application as it informs the Validation committee about how your skills and experience demonstrate the criteria and helps them reach a decision.
You can use the Statement of competence template to upload or write directly into the boxes in the online form. Please note that incomplete new applications online cannot be saved and returned to.
For further information on how the competence categories apply in specialist areas of practice, please see our supporting specialist competence matrices.These can be used alongside the main competence matrix to see how your work fits into the criteria and help write your statement of competence.
Employed or voluntary roles
Please give detailed information about your role and responsibilities for your current and most recent roles over the last two years. Use each heading of the competence matrix (below) as a guide. You should cover how you demonstrate the four areas - knowledge, autonomy, coping with complexity and perception of professional context - giving specific examples. You may find it easier to give an example of a project you have done from beginning to end.
Detailed guidance and examples of what you should include can be found in the performance criteria (ACIfA) (weblink)
For any roles you’ve undertaken longer than two years ago, please give a brief description of the responsibilities held, including any career breaks where relevant.
We also suggest you highlight within the statement the examples of work (see section below) you are providing to support your application.
If you have taken a career break, work part-time or have a portfolio career and can meet the evidence requirements to demonstrate competence in the four areas of the matrix, you are eligble to apply.
You can approach your statement of competence in different ways
- use the four areas of the competence matrix as headings, write something for each and describe a specific example of where you did this
- write it like a job application, describing your main responsibilities and how these fit into the four areas of the competence matrix using specific examples
- write about a specific piece of work or project in detail
Competence matrix for Associate (ACIfA)
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Knowledge
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Autonomy
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Coping with complexity
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Perception of professional context
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High level of working and background knowledge relevant to area of historic environment practice. Demonstrates competence in a broad range of activities within that area, in accordance with relevant professional standards
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Considerable responsibility for own work using own judgement and autonomy, in a wide variety of contexts, but within an established framework. Where relevant, may take responsibility for the work of others and/or the allocation of resources within an area of practice.
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Copes with complex situations through deliberate analysis and planning. Most activities are complex and non-routine
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Sees actions at least partly in terms of longer-term or wider goals
Understands the ethical requirements of the Code of conduct and uses them to guide and review own practice and, where applicable, that of others. Can recognise and resolve potential conflicts of interest within an established framework. Upholds and promotes the values of the Institute to work in the public interest
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Qualifications (where relevant)
Please list any relevant qualifications, including title, University and date of completion and a brief outline of the areas covered. If you work in academia, please provide a more detailed outline.
If you do not hold any qualifications, you are still eligible to apply.
Additional relevant information
Please include any additional information that may be useful for the Validation committee to take into consideration when assessing your application. A job description or CV can be uploaded to the online form but you must include a statement of competence (above).
If your experience has been gained outside the UK please include some background information about how the profession operates in that country and how your role fits within the profession.
List of projects/publications/grey literature
Please list any relevant projects, publications or grey literature from your work in the last 2 years in the statement template or online form. Where work is co-authored or the authors not defined, please indicate which part(s) you were responsible for. You can also highlight those you are including as your examples of work.
If you do not have any publications, you are still eligible to apply.
