17th September 2012, 11:55 AM
kevin wooldridge Wrote:Where do I disagree.....
1. absolutely nothing changes. Disagree. The IfA will become a Charted organisation and will be able to offer Chartered accrediatation. Whether you think that is a good or bad thing is open for debate, but it will hardly be stasis.
2. the IfA somehow takes control of who can call themselves an archaeologists. Disagree. The IfA maybe able to control who calls themselves a chartered archaeologist, nothing more.
3. The IfA gets to determine who can practice archaeology. Disagree. Where does Chartered status confer any form of monopolistic control over a profession?
4 The reason the charter status fails is because the concept is based on forcing people to do something. Disagree. The IfA would not be forcing anyone to do anything. It will only have 'control' over archaeologists who aspire to or achieve Chartered accreditation
I guess I should elaborate then as I think we are on the same page for most of it.
1. nothing happens- I don't mean that nothing happens yes chartered status is confirmed which is something. I mean nothing happens in that nothing changes other than some headings on some stationary. I mean nothing really tangible happens. In other words, names change but it is business as usual. That's what I mean by nothing really happens which I believe is what you said might happen. Am I wrong on that?
2. Well to start with yes (and I would place being able to call one's self chartered archaeologists as the same category as 1- nothing happens) but lawyers are an excellent case of a closed shop were they can control who calls themselves a lawyer. I think that would be very far down the road for the IfA on chartered status but chartering is one of the steps for that.
3. Chartered status is used to control who can practice by making it a requirement from councils, heritage bodies, etc. the chartering does not do this but it can be used as a step in the process to do it.
On the face of it chartered status means nothing, absolutely nothing. However it can be used as a building block and is especially powerful for people who do not know that it means nothing. That is were I see chartered status going but I really think option 1 is the most likely -lots of money for a fancy title. So I see it as at best a waste at worse a step in a process to beef up the sticks that the IfA has or any organization for that matter.
I don't mean to pick on the IfA, other organizations do the same thing, they just happen to be the subject.