Careers Brief - Cultural Services: Libraries or Museums FdA
Overview
The Foundation degrees in Cultural Services: Libraries and Cultural Services: Museums, offer you the opportunity for progression onto an Honours degree course or direct job entry.
There are a wide range of roles within the information services and cultural heritage sectors. However, these are also popular and small professions. Competition is high for the relatively limited number of entry level posts. This has resulted in many applicants having higher qualifications and experience than required for the demands of the post.
Related experience and/or volunteer work (to build up your skills, experience and contacts) are often essential to get into cultural heritage and information services.
This course aims to give you knowledge and understanding of these employment sectors, practical training and relevant skill development.
Key skills within this course can also be applied to a wide variety of jobs in a broader context. Skills such as client-centred customer service, researching and evaluating information, writing reports, IT, use of reference and electronic resources, team working, planning, organising, time management and problem solving.
Use the website links below to find out more.
To consider a wider choice of careers, use Prospects Planner or other internet career matching tools listed in the Career Planning section of this Careers Guide.
Further Study
You will be able to apply for transfer into a related Honours degree to top-up your Foundation degree. The year of entry would depend on your grades, experience and overlap between courses but could be into the final year.
Progression will be possible from this course into the final year of the BA (Hons) Education and Training at the University of Plymouth and additionally, with the Museums pathway, into the BSc (Hons) Heritage Conservation Management at Bournemouth University.
To search for other courses go to www.ucas.com/ (UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service for the UK). Use the university/college links for course details.
You will need to use UCAS to apply for courses. Contact the Course Tutor of your chosen course to find out your position, before you make your formal application.
Find out how much this will cost you. Where is the funding coming from? Go to the university/college website for information on course costs and finance and to www.direct.gov.uk/uni/ for additional help with student support.
Professional qualifications (studied part-time or full-time) are often required for career progression. Use the links to the relevant professional bodies below.
With a good Honours degree (First or 2.1), you could progress onto an appropriate higher level degree to attain a Masters and/or PhD doctorate. This could be to develop your area of study to a more in-depth practical and/or academic level or to gain other specialist training.
For information on postgraduate study, go to the national online directory at www.prospects.ac.uk/study.htm .
Resources
Creative Choices - for a career in cultural heritage
www.prospects.ac.uk/starting_out.htm
Graduate Prospects - national careers website for HE students studying in the UK:
Drop down 'Jobs' and click on 'Types of jobs' choose 'Information services' for both 'Information management' and 'Museums and heritage management'
Drop down 'Jobs' and click on 'What jobs would suit me?' to use 'Prospects Planner' a free career matching service
http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/
Government Careers Advice service
CILIP: Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in the UK
Drop down sub-heading 'Jobs and careers' for 'Careers gateway'
Society of Archivists: the principal professional body for archivists, archive conservators and records management.
Click on sub-heading 'Careers'
Museums Association - click on sub-heading 'Careers'
The Institute of Conservation - the lead voice for the conservation of cultural heritage.
Go to side-heading 'Careers & Training'.
Aslib: The Association for Information Management
www.guidance-research.org/future-trends/arts
Warwick Institute for Employment Research - 'Creative and cultural industries'
The British Library
The National Archives - UK government records and information management
Office of Public Sector Information
www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u
Jobs4U Careers Database - click on sub-heading 'Job Families & Articles' or Quick Search by typing in job title
http://jobseekers.direct.gov.uk/
Government Careers database and links to jobs nationally. Search by either clicking on side-heading 'Careers' and choose a category or type in job title.
Artjobster - the free artworkers jobsite for the UK
Working in further and higher education
Go to the Job Applications section of this Careers Guide for advice and help with making applications.
