Highlights and initiatives

The workforce development programme underpins much of the other work of Renaissance East Midlands, providing the information, skills and inspiration for museum staff and volunteers to engage in initiatives and opportunities.

The 2006 –2008 workforce development programme resulted in:

• Two positive action trainees appointed and trained. 
• The successful NVQ system extended to five new sites, with five others waiting to join. 
• Nineteen volunteers enrolled on the NVQ qualifications and one participant going on to get a job and acting as an NVQ assessor. The scheme has helped to increase the number of younger volunteers at the participating museums. 
• Seven East Midlands museum members of staff have completed the MLA leadership programme, ‘Leading Archives & Museums’. 
• Thirty-five candidates have completed vocational training and one new NVQ assessor has been trained. The Renaissance East Midlands NVQ centre has 100 candidates enrolled and a waiting list of interested museums. 
• More than 500 people completed Renaissance East Midlands training courses. The evaluations showed that three quarters of participants reported an increase in short term knowledge and 10% responded to follow up evaluation and demonstrated that they had used their learning to improve services. 
• Renaissance East Midlands supported the delivery of the Group for Education in Museums (GEM) annual conference held in Leicester in September 2007. 
• Renaissance East Midlands has support two learning groups: the AMA support group and East Midlands Museums Service Front of House Network. 
• Renaissance East Midlands has been approached by the Museums Association, Museums, Libraries, Archives Council (MLA) and the Creative and Cultural Skills Council for advice on its successful workforce development programme.