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The Arts Council has welcomed the National Conservation Education and Skills Strategy, which sets out a vision for conservation education over the next five years.

Hedley Swain, Director of Museums and Renaissance at Arts Council England said:

'The Arts Council welcomes the National Conservation Education and Skills Strategy. In promoting the development of conservation education, this strategy will help ensure the protection and preservation of cultural objects for future generations.

'The vision will also map out a range of career paths, raising awareness of conservation as a subject, and hopefully diversifying the workforce and leadership of the sector.'

Building an environment of learning and research to secure the future of conservation

The strategy sets out how the sector can build an environment of learning and research in the UK that will foster the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding needed to secure the future of conservation.

A range of qualifications and professional standards already enable entry routes to the conservation workforce, but this new strategy aims to encourage a more diverse, better networked and focused profession.

The Arts Council and collections care

Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in museums and libraries. Creating a skilled cultural workforce sits at the heart of this.

One of our five goals in Culture, knowledge and understanding: great museums and libraries for everyone is to ensure that 'The leadership and workforce are diverse and highly skilled'. Collections care is also a central aspect of the work of museums and, as such, the ICON strategy aligns closely with several areas of our work.

Demonstrating good practice in the care and use of collections is a requirement of museums attaining industry quality marks Designation and Accreditation. It is also central to the Preservation of Industrial and Scientific Material (PRISM) fund, which awards grants towards the costs of acquisition and conservation of items or collections which are important in the history and development of science, technology, industry, and related fields.

Find out more

National Conservation Education and Skills Strategy is published by ICON, a membership organisation that supports conservation groups and professionals, as well as people working to improve understanding of and access to cultural heritage.

To find out more about how we support museums, visit the Supporting museums section of website. You can also read Culture, knowledge and understanding: great museums and libraries for everyone.