Focus on archives and museums
Thursday 25th April, 10 - 10.45am
Archives and museums play a crucial role in our lives. By collecting, conserving and showcasing artefacts and documents from the past, they shape and inform how we consider the future. Their collections tell us about events that happened thousands of years ago, as well as in living memory. They reflect changes in society, science and technology, and enrich our understanding of the world in which we live.
But who works behind the scenes? There are a wide range of people involved, including conservators who preserve and repair artefacts and documents; site managers who look after the buildings that house the collections; digital marketing teams bringing historic documents to life online; curators and archivists who research and manage the physical and digital collections in museums and archives; and technicians who install exhibits, to name but a few.
Delivered in collaboration with The National Archives, this online industry insight will showcase a range of job roles within the archive and museum sectors and the various pathways to these roles, including vocational routes such as apprenticeships and training schemes. Join us for a panel discussion with industry professionals, followed by an opportunity for your students to ask questions about working in the sector. We also encourage individual students to register.
The panellists include:
Isabelle Reynolds-Logue Digitisation Manager at the National Portrait Gallery. She has worked in the cultural heritage sector for several years, including as a photographer at the British Library and as a trainee at UCL Archives through The National Archives’ Bridging the Digital Gap scheme.
Drew Ellery Collections Engagement Officer at The National Archives. Drew was previously based in Manchester where he undertook a Transforming Archives Traineeship whilst working at various local and community archives in the city. He went on to later complete an MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies at The University of Manchester.
Dhevia Sharma Schools Learning Assistant at London Transport Museum. Dhevia has recently joined the London Transport Museum as the Learning Assistant for Schools. Her journey at LTM started back in 2021 when she participated in a ‘Young Volunteers’ project, creating a podcast about the impact of Crossrail on her local area. Curiosity about the heritage sector ignited, she then went on to join the ‘Young Freelancers’ programme in 2022 and then returned to LTM full time in 2024, after leaving her job in retail.
Jordan Keighley Youth Engagement Curator at Leeds City Museum. Jordan has been in this role for just over 2 years. His work within the service’s community team focusses on providing a platform for local young people to tell their stories, improve representation and improve accessibility. Before this he was a participant with Leeds Museum and Galleries’ volunteer programme for over ten years.
The insight will be chaired by Jonathan Ladd, Head of Advocacy and Partnerships Team at The National Archives
This live event is supported by our ‘Focus on museums, galleries and heritage’ lesson plan plus additional resources. We’ve also suggested a 10-minute warm-up exercise for your class to do in preparation – see below.
Warm-up exercise
To get your students thinking about these sectors, we’ve suggested a few discussion points that you could do as a class or in small groups. You may want to use some photos of local archives and museums as a visual prompt.
- What museums, archives or heritage sites do you have near you?
- Have you ever visited one of these places? What did you think? What was interesting about these places and what did you learn?
- What type of jobs do you think you can get at an archive or museum? What might the people who work there do on a daily basis?
Additional resources
Find out more about careers in archives:
Archives and Records Association
Explore apprenticeships in archives
Find out more about careers in museums:
Explore apprenticeships in museums
As the official archive and publisher for the UK government and for England and Wales, The National Archives is the guardian of some of our most iconic national documents, dating back over 1,000 years. The National Archives also fulfils a leadership role for all archives in England. Find out more.