The recent Heritage Pulse survey took place in September, allowing 205 members of the community made up of heritage professionals to give their view on the industry. This latest panel survey featured questions which looked specifically at how the industry is breaking down barriers to opportunity, and the results were hopeful when it came to ensuring upcoming talent is encouraged to embrace the possibilities of the sector.
Careers in the Heritage sector
The focus of the survey was to establish the attitudes of heritage professionals when it came to the influx of new talent into the sector. The first findings were encouraging, that 74% of panel respondents recommend a career in heritage to any young people leaving education today. Respondents were also able to share advice they would give to young people when it came to developing a career in heritage, and when analysed, Heritage Pulse found that of the language used, 83% was positive.
Some of the advice included: “Find a part of the sector where you can thrive and be creative – heritage is what you make of it and not what others (established heritage professionals) tell you it – it’s for you to define and make work for you.”
“Go for it. If it’s your passion as well, you will get so much out of it.”
Some of the more cautious sentiments included: “I would caution them that it’s a sector with, mainly, low pay and little to no structured development so I would encourage them to be prepared to work freelance and to, where possible, create their own opportunities.”
“Make sure you are really interested in the subject to help bolster you while you make it through. It’s no longer properly funded, and it will be difficult otherwise to sustain. It helps to be independently wealthy.”
When it came to what respondents would say was most important for young people pursuing a career in heritage, the panel found that motivation is seen as the major key to success, rather than gaining qualifications, which was mentioned the least over the survey. Three distinct arguments presented themselves through the findings:
The need to be motivated to pursue a career in heritage, versus the need to be cautious and identify the right opportunities.
The need to get experience in the sector, versus the need to gain appropriate qualifications for the role you wish to pursue.
The importance of building a large network, versus the importance of seeking volunteering opportunities in the sector.
Respondents also shared their thoughts towards newcomers to the sector in this section, listed below:
Examples of being motivated to pursue a career in heritage, versus being cautious and identifying the right opportunities include: “A career in heritage can be extremely fulfilling. This is not an easy sector, or one that has high wages, but there is real reward in doing work that you find interesting, that you believe matters.”
“Enter with open eyes – the sector is precarious, your job might be too, and the salaries are frequently poor. But there are huge opportunities for a rewarding career, where one learns every day among kind and supportive people, working in organisations that do genuine good in the world.”
Examples of the need to get experience vs the need to gain qualifications include: “Do something you enjoy, get as many experiences as you can, look for transferable skills that you have, don’t dwell on set backs, there will be a role for you somewhere.”
“Future proof professional development aspirations & training by engaging with sector on future needs and the types of roles that sector will need to develop i.e. commercial and digital.”
Examples of importance of networking vs seeking volunteering opportunities include: “Connect with others and don’t give up. There is a huge appetite from heritage charities to diversify their workforce and board, look out for unexpected opportunities and don’t let a few “noes” stop you.”
“Do it for love and not for money. Really well-paid jobs in the sector are few and far between. Volunteer whenever possible to gain experience, learn what careers are possible and enhance your CV.”
Other findings
The survey also quizzed respondents on other factors relevant to or opportunity in the sector, such as apprenticeships, training and inclusivity.
When asked about traditional routes into work, apprenticeships and paid internships were seemingly underrepresented, with more than 65% of respondents offering neither. However, it’s important to remember that the audience of respondents is biased towards smaller organisations, with a quarter of respondents having no paid employees.
Respondents were also found to strongly agree with equality, inclusion and diversity initiatives (EDI), and 78% of respondents considered their organisations to be conscious of issues around EDI in recruiting and retaining staff and volunteers. 56% of respondents also said that their organisations are more likely to present themselves as supporting EDI than two years ago, whilst only two respondents said they were less/much less likely to present itself as publicly supporting EDI.
When it came to raising awareness of heritage careers and community outreach, primary schools led the list as the main point of contact with community and engagement. 40% of respondents said they engaged with local primary schools in terms of spreading awareness, which experienced a 12 point drop to 28% for high schools, and a rise back to 32% for universities. This engagement was almost always exclusively seen in the local area. 20% of respondents said that they never engage with local youth organisations, whilst 25% said they never engage with charities supporting low-income people.
Respondents listed lack of time, and lack of funds as the two most significant limitations when it came to community engagement. When asked the question “What barriers does your organisation face to increasing engagement/access for under-represented groups in your local area?”, the answers were as follows:
Lack of funding: 68%
Lack of time: 51.1%
Lack of interest from under-represented groups: 23.3%
Other: 20%
Not Applicable: 11.1%
