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In-house training programme - McLean Museum and Art Gallery
Why is this case study relevant?
This project is an example of a museum taking advantage of the opportunity to create a bespoke training programme, set up to suit specific organisational learning and development needs and run within the museum setting. Offering this type of training provision maximised the number of staff from the McLean Museum and Art Gallery who were able to attend courses and further allowed neighbouring organisations the opportunity to take up any surplus places.
What were the aims of the project?
1.The training programme aimed to provide the McLean’s front of house staff with opportunities for training and personal development previously denied them because of the logistics of having to travel to courses. Budgets cannot always accommodate the cost of attendance at external courses and the reduction of staffing levels caused by staff members’ absence can be a real barrier to the take up of these courses.
2. Working with the support of MGS to broaden the provision of training for museums and galleries throughout Scotland.
What happened?
Training and development needs were identified amongst the staff of the McLean Museum and Art Gallery and an appropriate programme was devised based on this. Advice on training providers was supplied by MGS and a programme was created to address the needs of staff. A varied programme consisting of half day and full day courses, visits and workshops was devised.
The programme of training included:
- Care of Paper and Photographs – Pest Management – Introduction to Costumed Interpretation – Storytelling Workshop – Conservation of oil paintings – Visits to Glasgow Museum Resource Centre and the Burrell Collection.
All courses, other than the visits took place at the McLean Museum and Art Gallery and surplus places were offered to neighbouring museums to ensure maximum cost effectiveness. Staff members benefited from the increased knowledge gained, a more stimulating working environment and the chance to meet and network with colleagues from both similar and different backgrounds. Training trips to other venues were popular and gave staff a perspective on the McLean’s operation.
What was learned?
There is a real opportunity for museums to devise an in-house training programme which will draw in attendees from other services in their locale.
Judging from the uptake of courses and from comments received it appears that the most popular format for courses is the day long course where the morning session is for those with a prior general knowledge and the afternoon is for more specialist staff to develop topics in depth. This format appealed to both internal staff members and participants from outside. It is clear that if a training topic is of sufficient interest, a good audience can be attracted from quite far afield which will justify the effort and expense of organising the session.
What is the wider relevance?
This method of training provision not only suits the individual organisations by attending to their specific learning and development needs, but also supplements the provision of training courses offered via the MGS Training Programme. Furthermore this type of training opportunity increases the geographic spread of training provision by holding courses outwith the central belt.
With the help and support of MGS, individual museums, like the McLean Museum Museum and Art Gallery can create a training programme which not only directly serves their own needs, but also compliments the content of the training programme offered by MGS. This ultimately widens the range of training on offer in Scotland for Museums and Galleries.
Follow this link for other ways to participate in training provision Other ways to access training
How was this project promoted?
The courses were primarily promoted via email to a network of potentially interested parties; NMS also advertised their course on their own website
What type of evaluation was done?
Evaluation forms were completed by participants after the presentations and reports were written after the trips. The training programme was also discussed at staff meetings. Two summary reports were submitted to MGS by the completion of the programme.
For Further Information
Contact Valerie Boa, Curator, McLean Museum and Art Gallery at 01475 715624 or val.boa@inverclyde.gov.uk
Associated Images
Category
Workforce Development
Project Start
1st Oct 2010
Project End
1st Mar 2011
Published
31st Aug 2011
Who Led?
McLean Museum and Art Gallery
Who else took part?
Apart from the staff of the McLean Museum other participants came from a wide geographical area; from Edinburgh and beyond for the National Museums seminar on pest management including Glenfinnan, and from bodies such as Strachur Historical Society, the Castle House, Dunoon, Largs Museum Trust, Renfrewshire Council, West Dunbartonshire Council and South Ayrshire Council for the other courses.