We are excited to offer a paid traineeship in digital archives as part of the Bridging the Digital Gap programme run by The National Archives and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Bridging the Digital Gap aims to increase digital skills in archives by bringing new talent into the sector to create a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
The trainee will be involved in a wide range of digital activities at Dorset History Centre, home of the archive service for Christchurch, Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole.
The trainee will have the chance to become familiar with Preservica, our digital preservation system, to upload both born-digital and digitised material. Other projects will focus on collecting important digital records and improving the discoverability of Dorset’s archive collections.
There will be opportunities to learn about and develop skills in a range of activities working with colleagues in community engagement, volunteering, records management, archive conservation and museum development. The trainee will also have access to specialist training and development workshops offered by The National Archives. The trainee will work towards Foundation Membership of the Archives and Records Association, the professional body for archives.
Dorset History Centre belongs the E-Preservation West Consortium, one of the two groups of archives offering traineeships in the 2021-22 programme. Each consortium has four archives, each with their own trainee. Throughout the programme, all eight trainees will meet up regularly and share learning, either in person or online, while they develop key skills to prepare them for an exciting career in the heritage sector. Previous trainees based in London, Norfolk and Yorkshire are now employed in digital roles at the British Library, Cambridge University Library, and British Film Institute.
We are looking for a talented technical person to use their skills, energy and digital confidence to help us preserve our history and find new ways for people to access and learn from that heritage. The application opens on 1 September and closes on 30 September 2020. The traineeship commences in January 2021.
To find out more about the Bridging the Digital Gap programme, please visit The National Archives’ website.