Fostering Cooperation in Cultural Heritage Professions
More international cooperation in cultural heritage professions?
A group of experts in cultural heritage has been invited by the Council of the EU to investigate the skills, training and knowledge transfer in the heritage professions in Europe.
The main goal of this working group’s report is to ensure all stakeholders (policymakers at national and EU level, education and training institutions, cultural institutions, and professional associations) to have the traditional and emerging skills required to fulfill these complex, challenging and necessary roles. New skills and competences are indeed needed to progress towards a more integrated and participatory management of cultural heritage, and better use of the opportunities offered by new technologies.
The group was operational in 2017 and 2018 under the Work Plan for Culture 2015-2018, with the support of the European Commission. This report is intended to be a resource for the European Union (EU) to ensure the long-term sustainability of Europe’s cultural heritage. It aims to do this by contributing to the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 objective ‘to support the development of specialised skills and improve knowledge management and knowledge transfer in the cultural heritage sector, taking into account the implications of the digital shift’. It will also contribute to the European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage, launched by the European Commission with the aim of leaving a policy imprint beyond 2018
The report presents key recommendations for the future of cultural heritage and identify the following fields to be promoted in cultural heritage:
- Engagement
- Sustainability
- Protections
- Innovation
- International Dimension.
The Cultural Diplomacy Platform is especially interested in the international dimension strand of the key recommendations:
“Europe is renowned for the quality of its training institutions, research centres and cultural heritage professionals. These professionals can help build bridges between people, communities and countries, reinforcing intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding, thereby contributing to an EU strategy for international cultural relations.
Recommendations
• Reinforce and promote EU cooperation with international organisations such as ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) on training for heritage professionals.
• Create opportunities and provide funds for the education, training, knowledge-exchange and mobility of European cultural heritage professionals at global level”
Access the full report here.