Putting members at the heart of the Institute

Nathan Baker, the new Chief Executive of CIfA has been in post for three months. Since joining the Institute in June, he has been spending time speaking to members and stakeholders about their aspirations for the professional home for archaeologists and understanding the culture of the profession.

Nathan’s priority is to put the members at the heart of CIfA. These discussions with members and stakeholders have helped to shape a new 3-year plan for the Institute, which was presented to and approved by the Board of Directors at its most recent meeting.

Under the new 3-year plan CIfA will be reflecting on our contribution to the common purpose, supporting the passion of its members and how it links to the objectives of the Institute’s Charter. The Institute’s focus will become one around learning and development; a place where those who have enthusiasm for archaeology come together, share their knowledge and expertise, help each other to continually improve, inspire the next generation to join the sector and encourage policy and decision makers to keep archaeology at the heart of community development. By focusing on being relevant and delivering impact, we will place CIfA’s members at the heart of their Institute.

The opportunities for archaeology are vast. By exploiting technology and building on our skills to understand the sites we work on better, we connect our modern communities with the communities of the past and tell rich stories about human progress. Aligning our work to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) will demonstrate clearly to all the value archaeology delivers.

As we look to the future, CIfA has a central role to play in championing the value the sector brings to society. We will seek, at every opportunity, to demonstrate that archaeology and archaeologists are highly relevant in the modern world and deliver positive impact for society. Through CIfA’s membership, archaeology connects the past to the future. By telling inspiring stories of how our ancestors lived and thrived collectively, we are able to provide context to the way we live today and give insight into how we might effectively live tomorrow.

The Institute exists to help members fulfil their passion. CIfA will refresh the membership offer to make it clear what value members get from being part of a professional community, distinct from those who are not part of the membership. The Institute will take the opportunity to provide strong recognition for individuals, organisations and the sector as a whole. It will refresh whole-life learning, bringing together early-, mid- and late-career experience and learning into career and learning pathways to help members demonstrate the value they bring through their work.

Our learning will be flexible, yet structured to support the development of members’ careers, and set within a simple, effective and authoritative standards framework. As a member-led, professional community, CIfA will build on the strong relationship we have with other organisations within the sector to ensure the voice of archaeology is heard by decision and policy makers and will actively support others to keep the profile of archaeology and the value it delivers high with the public.

We are clear that the Institute is a success because of the impact its members have through their work, every day. By supporting their learning, enabling impactful networks and mobilising relationships, our sector will be strong, resilient and sustainable into the future.