Reviewing the skills and training statistics from Profiling the Profession 2012–13
Kenneth Aitchison, Executive Director Landward Research Ltd
FAME Forum 2013: Risky Business?Merchant Taylors’ Hall, York, 28 June 2013
Investing in staff: a risk worth taking?
The Big Picture
Applied Archaeology
in the last twelve months (during the course of 2012) has your organisation lost skills in any of these areas?
Profiling the ProfessionState of the Archaeological
Market
fieldwork (invasive or non-invasive)13 33% 8 40%
post-fieldwork analysis 10 25% 6 20%
artefact or ecofact conservation7 18% 3 53%
providing advice to clients 11 28% 4 27%
desk-based or environmental assessment6 15% 3 20%
data management 10 25% 2 20%
leadership 12 30% 4 13%
business skills 5 13% 3 13%
project management 6 15% 2 27%
education / training 7 18% 0 0%
information technology 7 18% 2 13%
people management 7 18% 2 13%
other 3 8% 1 7%
responses 40 15
Skills Losses
in the last twelve months (during the course of 2012) has your organisation lost skills in any of these areas?
Profiling the ProfessionState of the Archaeological
Market
fieldwork (invasive or non-invasive)13 33% 8 40%
post-fieldwork analysis 10 25% 6 20%
artefact or ecofact conservation7 18% 3 53%
providing advice to clients 11 28% 4 27%
desk-based or environmental assessment6 15% 3 20%
data management 10 25% 2 20%
leadership 12 30% 4 13%
business skills 5 13% 3 13%
project management 6 15% 2 27%
education / training 7 18% 0 0%
information technology 7 18% 2 13%
people management 7 18% 2 13%
other 3 8% 1 7%
responses 40 15
Skills Losses
In the last twelve months (during 2012) has your organisation invested in skills training in any of these areas?
Profiling the ProfessionState of the Archaeological
Market
fieldwork (invasive or non-invasive) 29 25% 15 38%
post-fieldwork analysis 28 25% 12 31%
artefact or ecofact conservation 14 12% 7 18%
providing advice to clients 16 14% 3 8%
desk-based or environmental assessment 19 17% 12 31%
data management 25 22% 7 18%
leadership 16 14% 8 21%
business skills 24 21% 9 23%
project management 31 27% 14 36%
education / training 27 24% 9 23%
information technology 40 35% 16 41%
people management 29 25% 15 38%
other 14 12% 7 18%
total 114 39
Skills Gaps
In the last twelve months (during 2012) has your organisation invested in skills training in any of these areas?
Profiling the ProfessionState of the Archaeological
Market
fieldwork (invasive or non-invasive) 29 25% 15 38%
post-fieldwork analysis 28 25% 12 31%
artefact or ecofact conservation 14 12% 7 18%
providing advice to clients 16 14% 3 8%
desk-based or environmental assessment 19 17% 12 31%
data management 25 22% 7 18%
leadership 16 14% 8 21%
business skills 24 21% 9 23%
project management 31 27% 14 36%
education / training 27 24% 9 23%
information technology 40 35% 16 41%
people management 29 25% 15 38%
other 14 12% 7 18%
total 114 39
Skills Gaps
In the last twelve months (during 2012) has your organisation had to buy in skills (eg by hiring consultants or external contractors) inany of these areas?
Profiling the ProfessionState of the Archaeological
Market
fieldwork (invasive or non-invasive) 45 41% 15 39%
post-fieldwork analysis 56 51% 17 45%
artefact or ecofact conservation 47 43% 23 61%
providing advice to clients 2 2% 0 0%
desk-based or environmental assessment 11 10% 3 8%
data management 10 9% 2 5%
leadership 1 1% 0 0%
business skills 6 5% 2 5%
project management 3 3% 2 5%
education / training 12 11% 4 11%
information technology 27 25% 12 32%
people management 5 5% 5 13%
other 13 12% 6 16%
total 110 38
Skills Shortages
In the last twelve months (during 2012) has your organisation had to buy in skills (eg by hiring consultants or external contractors) inany of these areas?
Profiling the ProfessionState of the Archaeological
Market
fieldwork (invasive or non-invasive) 45 41% 15 39%
post-fieldwork analysis 56 51% 17 45%
artefact or ecofact conservation 47 43% 23 61%
providing advice to clients 2 2% 0 0%
desk-based or environmental assessment 11 10% 3 8%
data management 10 9% 2 5%
leadership 1 1% 0 0%
business skills 6 5% 2 5%
project management 3 3% 2 5%
education / training 12 11% 4 11%
information technology 27 25% 12 32%
people management 5 5% 5 13%
other 13 12% 6 16%
total 110 38
Skills Shortages
thinking beyond your organisation, do you think there are skills gaps or shortages across the archaeological sector in any of these areas?
Profiling the Profession State of the Archaeological Market
fieldwork (invasive or non-invasive)35 28% 10 31%
post-fieldwork analysis 60 47% 14 44%artefact or ecofact conservation
39 31% 9 28%
providing advice to clients 32 25% 10 31%desk-based or environmental assessment
25 20% 8 25%
data management 35 28% 10 31%leadership 39 31% 14 44%business skills 62 49% 21 66%project management 44 35% 13 41%education / training 36 28% 9 28%information technology 27 21% 9 28%people management 51 40% 18 56%other 7 6% 3 9%total 127 32
Other People’ Problems
thinking beyond your organisation, do you think there are skills gaps or shortages across the archaeological sector in any of these areas?
Profiling the Profession State of the Archaeological Market
fieldwork (invasive or non-invasive)35 28% 10 31%
post-fieldwork analysis 60 47% 14 44%artefact or ecofact conservation
39 31% 9 28%
providing advice to clients 32 25% 10 31%desk-based or environmental assessment
25 20% 8 25%
data management 35 28% 10 31%leadership 39 31% 14 44%business skills 62 49% 21 66%project management 44 35% 13 41%education / training 36 28% 9 28%information technology 27 21% 9 28%people management 51 40% 18 56%other 7 6% 3 9%total 127 32
Other Peoples’ Problems
Organisational Attitudes
Organisational Attitudes
Last ThoughtsThe biggest problems faced by the industry are appalling margins and loss of skills - it is just not as much fun as it used to be (at all levels) {IfA Registered, FAME member}
Large numbers of qualified archaeologists have recently come here from europe to work. They often have had a good(free)Socialist education in Poland. This has led to a reduction in the price of trenched evaluations which has in turn led to a reduction in prices for geophysical surveys. Geophysics organisations are increasingly devoting time to locating drains rather than archaeology in order to survive. {not IfA Registered, not FAME member} [nb – while 1.5% of the UK archaeological workforce was Polish in 2007-08, no Polish archaeologists were identified in the 2012-13
returns]
You haven't got time to hear my views..... {not IfA Registered, not FAME member}