Working in a museum

We believe more young people should have the opportunity to work in museums to gain work experience in the heritage sector and to develop transferable skills. Find out about how we are exploring different routes into the heritage sector, and skills development through heritage in this section.

What we believe

We should pay young people for their contributions to museums and heritage work where possible; that young people should be respected as equals to professionals or staff, and that young people are vital in the improvement of organisations.

As civic institutions, museums can provide wider training and work experience for young people that is relevant to the heritage sector and other sectors.

Working in museums and cultural organisations can help young people to build skills in public speaking, community work, teamwork and help to develop their confidence.

It is important that we create spaces that are safe and respectful of young people. We know that training staff is just as important as building young people’s skills; everyone benefits when we all feel more comfortable.

What we do

We run long-term paid opportunities such as cultural apprenticeships and traineeships, one-off paid roles such as digital producers, and commission young people to design, write, produce graphics and much more. These provide huge benefits for the institutions we work with, bringing new voices and ideas into their organisations.

We also develop training and peer sharing between staff across our partners, to share best practice, making sure we can best serve young people and that our staff are supported.