29th August 2012, 11:40 AM
Quote:Now I'm not saying archaeology should be a cut-throat commercial operation with room only for the pros - merely that archaeology in the UK has already spent the past two decades setting itself up that way and the predictable result is no room for training or volunteering. And ultimately the system is paid for by those who just want the obstruction removed, so there is no financial driver for improvement.
And that is the sorry place we are now. as there is no place for 'mass' training. prior to joining... thus the chicken and egg. and then there is no 'time' to really learn on the job - to be honest... (exceptions occur - but they are exceptions) when was the last time you were taught by a long time photographer or surveyor or soil scientist - while excavating a site? So you must pay to learn. which is great... you have your degree, that you now discover ain't worth spit. and you now have to pay to learn? Volunteering on most commercial sites will not get you training, just a sore knee.
Mixing and matching could be a way forward, but at the end of teh day... the palce where we (and I mean my generation) learned, is no longer supported. the societies and volunteer digs - due in part to the aging process and part due to the edging into Archaeology can only be done by professionals movement. After all... if a team of kids and vollys can do a dig. why should developers pay us?
Pre PPG was actually quite good. as it was always digging archaeology - rather than the 239th empty eval trench. that said it was poor, and when teh plug was pulled... that was it. no comeback apart from public pressure ( which in itself creaed PPG - though perhaps not exactly how we thought it would work!)
Back to training.... systems... process and assesment . but... keep it simple... keep it ongoing and allow flexibility.