Northern Ireland Archaeology 2030 skills surveys launched

Archaeology 2030 is a collaboration between people and organisations working in archaeology in Northern Ireland. It sets out recommendations to deliver our vision for archaeology in Northern Ireland. We want archaeology to be accessed and valued by as many people as possible, led by a sector which is healthy, resilient and connected. This vision is being delivered through eight working groups drawn from across the sector. Working Group 8 is focussed on professional skills, training and specialisms. The working group is tasked with

  • Defining industry standards, competencies, and career pathways 
  • Developing opportunities and tools to actively support Professional Development within the sector 
  • Identifying and articulating future skill needs, including specialist skill areas 
  • Exploring and developing archaeological and heritage skills for new graduates 

We need your help to better understand individual and sector skills needs in Northern Ireland. We have developed a short skills survey aimed at individuals, employers and students to collect data which will inform our work over the next few years. The working group is co-chaired by Kate Geary and Cara Jones from the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) who will manage the data collection. CIfA is registered with the Information Commissioner to process personal data and complies with the principles of the Data Protection Act and GDPR.  All responses are anonymous and analysis will be carried out by working group members as set out in the GDPR Privacy Notice.

The survey should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. There are different versions for students, employees and employers - please make sure you complete the correct version!

If you are currently studying archaeology in Northern Ireland or have recently graduated, please complete the Student survey

If you are currently working or looking for work in archaeology in Northern Ireland, please complete the Employee survey

If you are an employer, business owner or sole-trader answering on behalf of your organisation, please complete the Employer survey

The deadline for responses is 30 November 2024. Your responses will help us design and deliver skills and training initiatives to support the sector in Northern Ireland and we really appreciate your time in completing the survey.