Diversifying the workforce
Introduction
This page contains resources that look at inclusive recruitment, training, and programmes for diversifying the museum and gallery workforce, including integrating anti-racist practice within this. We’ll be adding further resources to this section and welcome suggestions of resources and examples of good practice to inform@museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk.
Training resources and programmes
Connect with local Regional Equalities Councils and equality groups and communities for both recruitment and training.
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in Scottish Heritage is an AHRC-funded partnership project embedding better working and engagement practices and policies across the Scottish heritage sector. Their Heritage Toolkit provides advice for heritage organisations looking to work with community groups.
The Make Your Mark campaign aims to increase the number and diversity of heritage volunteers in Scotland. They hold regular events on addressing inequality in heritage volunteering and their website has a useful resource section on inclusive volunteering.
The CIPD develops practical content to help people professionals tackle racism and racial discrimination in the workplace. It includes guides for engaging with leaders on anti-racism strategy and talking about race in the workplace.
Equality In Progress: Research from a grassroots museum by Glasgow Women’s Library aims to support the museum sector to gain a better understanding of ‘equality’ as a theory, with the intention of widening access, representation and inclusion for people with Protected Characteristics.
MGS’s Fair Work resources for employers introduces Scottish Government’s Fair Work Framework.
Museums & Race: Transformation and Justice is a movement to challenge and re-imagine institutional policies and systems that perpetuate oppressions in museums. Resources include a Museum Report Card that challenges individuals and institutions to reflect on current practices and identify opportunities for growth.
The Privilege Quiz created for Intersectional GLAM is a tool for understanding the privilege we have and how understanding privilege creates a way to attempt to equalise the institutional power structure that creates marginalised and under– served groups.
The White Privilege Clinic | An Open Letter to my white colleagues is a powerful first hand account of the experiences of white privilege in the workplace as a person of colour.
Recruitment
The minority ethnic recruitment toolkit from Scottish Government supports employers in recruiting from minority ethnic communities.
Fair Museum Jobs have created checklists for the recruitment of paid roles, and recruitment of volunteers to help everyone benchmark their work and spot potential areas to improve.
The MGS jobs and opportunities page shares opportunities in the Scottish museum & galleries sector that have been Fair Work approved. It’s free for organisations to post an opportunity.
Networks supporting a diverse workforce
The following networks work to support and represent a diverse workforce:
Museum Detox- a network for people of colour who work in museums, galleries, libraries, archives, and the heritage sector. Museum Detox champions fair representation and the inclusion of cultural, intellectual, and creative contributions from POCs. They challenge and work to deconstruct systems of inequality that exist to enable a sector where the workforce and audience is reflective of the UK’s 21st century population.
Museum As Muck- A supportive network of working class museum people making change in the sector.
Museum Hue- Museum Hue is the leading organization dedicated to advancing Black, Indigenous, and other People of Colour in the cultural field. It has over 150 institutional members, representing cultural and academic institutions across the United States.
This blog from Museum Detox looks at allyship through transforming words into actions.