Unpaid positions

I have read with interest the postings by Tom Dixon, Christine
Smith, Helen Jaeschke and Ida Pohoriljakova. I would like to briefly
outline some of the ways that Icon is working against the tide of
unpaid positions.

Since 2006, Icon has partnered with heritage organisations and
conservation practices to deliver a managed internship scheme. This
has been made possible through a generous grant of UKP2.45million
from the Heritage Lottery Fund that will take us up to 2015, by
which time at least 130 interns will have been through the scheme.
Icon has gone on to use the HLF framework to work with other
grant-making bodies and employers to offer additional Icon
internships. Interns on the scheme receive a stipend or bursary that
is increased each year and currently stands at UKP15,500p.a.
Internships are fully supported and linked to our professional
standards. Icon influences the sector to comply with our standards
and framework for internships. The recommended stipend is listed on
our website along with salary guidelines. The scheme is successful;
since 2006, over 90% of interns are employed in conservation.
Interns from the early years of the scheme are starting to go
through accreditation, and to supervise interns themselves. Another
aspect of our scheme is that 50% of the internships are open to new
starters in conservation, thus addressing the issue of affordability
and entry routes mentioned by Tom Dixon.

In order to influence the development of education and work-based
learning opportunities that will provide a fit-for-purpose
workforce, Icon has recently launched our National Education and
Skills Strategy

    <URL:http://www.icon.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1262&Itemid=124>

It aims to bring together employers, educators and funders to work
on how this can best be done. I would be glad to hear from anyone
who would like to help us with implementing the strategy. As Helen
Jaeschke mentioned, Icon is also undertaking benchmarking research
to underpin the strategy: to find out more about the current
workforce; what employers' needs are for the next five years in
terms of education and skills; and how we plan to provide these in
the years to come. The report on this research will be published in
April 2013.

Finally, I would like to touch on the issue of volunteering. It is
important that interns and volunteers are clearly defined. It does
both a disservice if these categories are indistinguishable. Icon
has very clear guidelines on internships

    <URL:http://www.icon.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=295&Itemid=41>

and there are excellent best practice guidelines for volunteers

    <URL:http://www.archives.org.uk/ara-in-action/best-practice-guidelines.html>

With clear criteria and good management there is a role for both in
conservation. There will be many opportunities to discuss these
issues at Icon's forthcoming conference in Ap2013

    <URL:http://www.iconpf13.com>

Alison Richmond
Chief Executive
Icon, The Institute of Conservation


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 26:28
                Distributed: Thursday, December 6, 2012
                       Message Id: cdl-26-28-001
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