Aim of resource

Museums and galleries are made possible by many different people working together. From curators and conservators to digital learning, community engagement, exhibitions, retail and visitor experience, every role helps connect people with history, culture and creativity.

This resource introduces pupils to a wide range of real careers across Leeds Museums and Galleries through staff interviews and career profiles. Pupils will explore the different skills, interests, experiences and pathways that can lead to working within the heritage sector.

The resource is designed to encourage discussion around careers, transferable skills, creativity, communication and the many different ways people can contribute to museums and cultural organisations.

Gatsby Benchmark Links

• Addressing the needs of each pupil
• Linking curriculum learning to careers
• Encounters with employers and employees

Learning Objectives

• Learn about the wide range of careers that exist within museums and galleries
• Explore how different interests, subjects and life experiences can connect to future careers
• Recognise the importance of transferable skills such as communication, creativity, teamwork and problem solving
• Understand that there is no single pathway into the heritage and cultural sector
• Reflect on personal interests, strengths and future aspirations

Context

Many pupils may associate museums with only a small number of visible job roles. This resource helps broaden understanding of the wide variety of careers involved in caring for collections, creating exhibitions, working with communities and welcoming visitors.

The staff featured within these profiles come from very different educational, creative and professional backgrounds. Their stories highlight that museums need many different types of people and skills, including practical, technical, creative, organisational and people-focused roles.

The resource can support careers education, PSHE, speaking and listening activities, literacy work, employability discussions and enrichment projects linked to local heritage and culture.

Discussion Ideas

• Which careers or job roles surprised you the most and why?
• What skills appeared most often across the different staff interviews?
• Why do museums and galleries need lots of different types of people working together?
• Which career explored do you think best matches your interests or personality?
• Can you think of hobbies, subjects or interests you already have that might connect to museum work?
• How do museums help communities learn about history, culture and identity?

Activity Ideas

• Using 'Journey of an Object' sorting cards pupils place events into the correct order from the first card 'object is underground and undiscovered' to the last card 'People go to see the object in the museum.'
• Pupils read through staff career profiles and use these to learn about the types of people who work in Museums and Galleries. They can then match the staff to a point/ points in the 'Journey of an Object' timeline.
  
  Option 1: Pupils think of skills required to be a good employee, and make a list. They can then link each staff career profile to the skills they think are needed for that role.
  
  Option 2: Using the skills colour key with matching colour counters (or Lego blocks or similar), pupils identify 3 skills that they think each particular staff member needs to do their job. They place the corresponding coloured counter of those skills next to the staff career profile. This will allow them to see the skills that are important across more than one job role.Identifying job skills.
  
  Further Ideas
• Invite pupils to research another museum career not included within the resource
• Create a classroom exhibition linked to local history or personal stories
• Discuss how museums use digital technology, storytelling and social media to engage audiences
• Explore how museums represent different communities, identities and experiences