Human Resources in Canada's Built Heritage Sector: Mapping the ...

MAPPING THE WORK FORCE AND SETTING STRATEGIC PRIORITIESOn balance, the trends and developments discussed above are more positive than negative. This view isnot shared by all persons who were interviewed or who participated in workshops. However, a favourableinterpretation of trends is by far the more commonly held view. Nevertheless, the trends described do notadd up to a dramatic change for the built heritage sector. The impressions that emerge from our researchand from interviews and workshops are:First, the built heritage sector is expanding slowly, but is constrained by a policy environment, which thoughimproving, is still notably less supportive than in many other jurisdictions.Second, the expansion of the sector has highlighted human resource problems and made it more pressing to dealwith these problems. While these human resource problems do not constitute a crisis, in the absence ofspecific steps to address them, the problems will grow more serious and will become a much more seriousconstraint on the sector.Third, the sector’s human resource requirements are inextricably tied to the policy and funding environment.In the past, human resources have not occupied a central place in policy discussions. This is no longerappropriate. The success of heritage policies depends on the availability of an appropriately skilled work force.©CULTURAL HUMAN RESOURCES COUNCIL15