13.07.2015 Views

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

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

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

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS
  • No tags were found...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

HUMAN RESOURCES IN CANADA’S BUILT HERITAGE SECTOR<strong>Human</strong> Resource IssuesFormal Professional Tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g:“There are few full-time open<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> Canada for our graduates. About 35% of our students are from outsideCanada. Our program would not be susta<strong>in</strong>able on Canadian enrolments alone.”Professor – Specialized University Program“In some discipl<strong>in</strong>es, <strong>the</strong>re are problems reta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g people ow<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> lack of work.”Workshop Participant, HalifaxIn light of <strong>the</strong> comparatively small number of persons who are engaged full-time <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> built heritagesector, it is not surpris<strong>in</strong>g that many universities and colleges have difficulty <strong>in</strong> attract<strong>in</strong>g a sufficientnumber of students to susta<strong>in</strong> specialized programmes deal<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>the</strong> built heritage sector. Employmentprospects <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> sector will not support any significant <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> full-time enrolments. This is likely tomean that many practitioners will obta<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir advanced qualifications outside Canada. Obta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g foreignqualifications has been a common pattern <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> past. It is likely to rema<strong>in</strong> so.Professional Development:In <strong>the</strong> built heritage sector, professional development for <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>cumbent work force is at least as important, if notmore important, than tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g new entrants. Not surpris<strong>in</strong>gly, <strong>the</strong>refore, many professionals, especiallythose employed <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> public and non-profit sector, identified professional development tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g as animportant concern.Professional development tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g is currently available through <strong>the</strong> University of Victoria and <strong>the</strong>University of Montreal, as well as through professional associations. Organizations such as <strong>the</strong> Associationfor Preservation Technology and <strong>the</strong> Canadian Conservation Institute also provide multi-discipl<strong>in</strong>ary tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g.Parks Canada offers a number of specialized courses, although its resources are limited. We were toldthat “every course [offered by Parks Canada] is a sell-out and many have wait<strong>in</strong>g lists.” The federalgovernment’s Historic Places Initiative was cited as hav<strong>in</strong>g had an important effect <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>demand for professional development tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g.<strong>Resources</strong> for professional development have not always been sufficient. More importantly, <strong>the</strong>re may nothave been a sufficient recognition of <strong>the</strong> importance of professional development tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> publicand non-profit sector. While <strong>the</strong>re is evidence that this is chang<strong>in</strong>g, support for professional developmenttra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g still falls short of <strong>the</strong> sector’s needs. The sector needs a general review of its professional developmentrequirements and <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitutional and f<strong>in</strong>ancial resources that are available to meet those requirements. Sucha review will significantly streng<strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> sector’s understand<strong>in</strong>g of its human resource needs.20©CULTURAL HUMAN RESOURCES COUNCIL

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!