Certification

Regarding the issue of graduate / non-graduate entry raised by Paul
Himmelstein, I'd like to explain how this has been handled in the
UK.  At present, any practising conservator can apply for
accreditation regardless of his/her route into the profession, and
will be assessed through a robust process that expects a high level
of practical proficiency and depth of understanding:  graduates need
to have enough experience to have developed a good standard of
practical competence and judgement, and conservators who have come
in through an 'apprenticeship' route must have what is referred to
as a 'post-graduate' level of understanding.  In reality most new
entrants now have a degree, postgraduate qualification or (in some
fields) an award such as a higher national diploma (similar to the
US associate degree).  In the future it is possible (this is my
personal view) that standard entry to accreditation would require a
first or postgraduate degree in conservation, and anyone without
that level of qualification would need to apply via an 'exceptional
entry' route.

Either way, it is the accreditation assessment, not the degree, that
decides whether the applicant can be labelled as a proficient and
professional practitioner.  In the future, the question we have to
answer is whether this can stand alone, as at present, or whether it
becomes a post-graduate, post-experience assessment that can assume
a particular kind of training route.

Dr Stan Lester
Stan Lester Developments, UK
accreditation consultant to the National Council for
Conservation-Restoration


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 16:38
                Distributed: Thursday, December 5, 2002
                       Message Id: cdl-16-38-007
                                  ***