Of interest (please circulate)

Postgraduate apprenticeships in Museum Studies
Information for employers and applicants to begin training October 2001.

Background and aims

The funding for this project, jointly awarded to the Department of Museum
Studies, University of Leicester and the Cultural Heritage National Training
Organisation (CHNTO), has been provided by the Higher Education Funding
Council of England (HEFCE).  The new postgraduate apprenticeship scheme aims
to open up opportunities for training and professional development amongst
small-medium sized enterprises that have traditionally been unable to invest
in staff training and development. It further aims to link NVQs to academic
training pathways and to devise a postgraduate apprenticeship (PGA) model
for the cultural heritage sector. There are four other universities involved
in this scheme, representing other areas of the cultural heritage training
sector.

Who is eligible?

·       Museums of all kinds are eligible though the organisation must employ less
than 250 staff (museums or museum services that employ less than 250 staff
but are part of a larger organisation, e.g. a local authority, are eligible
to apply, though priority will be given to those organisations which have
limited resources for staff training).

·       Candidates must be employed in either a full or part time capacity and be
in receipt of payment for their work by a museum, gallery or related
organisation.

·       The employing organisation must be based within England.

·       Candidates can be either new or more established members of staff but must
have either an honours degree (preferably first or second class) or a
minimum of 5 year’s professional experience of working in the sector.

Benefits to the museum and employees

·       Successful candidates will undertake the PgDip/MA/MSc in Museum Studies at
the University of Leicester gaining this widely recognised professional
qualification over a two-year period through study on either a part time or
distance-learning basis.

·       This enables students to continue working whilst studying and to apply the
knowledge and experiences they gain within their workplace throughout the
two-year period.

·       In addition, students will be required to fulfil the requirements of the
postgraduate apprenticeship scheme which will involve an additional project
based within the workplace and some elements of the NVQ scheme (though the
exact nature of these have yet to be finalised).

·       It is expected that successful applicants will be entitled to course fee
remission of £2650. (HEFCE have advised that, if the take up of
apprenticeships nationally across the different sectors is higher than
anticipated, there is a possibility that this may be scaled down). Part time
course fees are ordinarily £2,805 (£1,403 per annum for two years) and
distance learning course fees (which include all the study materials – study
guides, books, articles, audio-visual material required to complete the
course - and support from a network of tutors), are ordinarily £ 4,430.

Successful candidates who opt to study on a part time basis will be required
to attend 5 week-long courses at the University of Leicester each year.
Employers will be required to pay the remaining fee (approximately £155
spread over two years, after the fee remission of £2,650) and to allow the
employee time from the workplace to attend the courses at Leicester.
Employers will also be required to cover the costs of travelling to
Leicester for each week-long module, for the oral exam at the end of the
second year of taught programme and, if necessary, for the student’s
accommodation and subsistence during those periods.

Successful candidates who opt to study on a distance learning basis will
receive study packs containing all the material and literature to complete
the course and the support of a network of distance learning tutors,
enabling them to continue working without a requirement to attend the
week-long courses at Leicester and associated costs. Candidates will be
entitled to fee remission of £2650 and employers will therefore be required
to fund the remaining £1,780 (approximately £ 890 per year for two years).
Clearly, the distance learning route does not incur additional expenses in
the form of travel and subsistence.

Commitment from employers and employees

In return for the fee remission both employer and employee are required to
declare their commitment to complete the course during the two year period
and to undertake additional activities (including a project based on issues
faced within the workplace) as required by HEFCE’s postgraduate
apprenticeship scheme. Since these elements are not yet finalised we are
looking for candidates who are willing to embark on this exciting new
scheme, to work with us as the scheme develops, and to fully participate in
return for the significant funding support towards the costs of undertaking
the museums studies professional training at the University of Leicester.




How to apply.

Applications are now being considered for the twenty places available to
begin in October 2001. Since both the part time and distance learning
courses begin in October 2001 the deadline for applications is very tight.
The closing date for receipt of applications is September 17th. Interested
candidates are encouraged to contact the Department to express their
interest and to discuss any queries they have prior to application. If you
would like to discuss this scheme further, please do not hesitate to call
either Richard Sandell, Gerard Corsane or Eilean Hooper-Greenhill on 0116
252 3963.

University application forms are available from the Department by
telephoning Christine on 0116 252 3963.

Completed application forms should be returned with the following:

·       A cover letter from the candidate indicating their preferred learning
route (part time or distance learning), outlining the reasons why they wish
to participate in the programme, and the ways in which they feel museum
studies training will benefit both themselves and their employer (max 1500
words)

·       A proforma, completed by the employer, confirming their commitment to the
scheme and a willingness to pay the remainder of course fees (after the fee
remission of £2650).

·       Please note that the application form includes two reference forms which
should be sent by the applicant to individuals who have agreed to provide a
reference (one of these should be from your employer). These should be sent
directly from your referee to the department as soon as possible as forms
cannot be considered until references have been received.

Completed applications and accompanying details should be sent to:

Christine Cheesman
Admissions Office
Department of Museum Studies
University of Leicester
105 Princess Road East
Leicester
LE1 7LG.



Further information

If you would like to discuss this scheme further, please do not hesitate to
call either Richard Sandell, Gerard Corsane or Eilean Hooper-Greenhill on
0116 252 3963.


RPS 24/7/01



Stephen Allen
Head of Education
National Portrait Gallery
St Martin's Place
London WC2H 0HE
Direct line:  020 7312 2417
www.npg.org.uk