Collection manager to conservator
A collection manager already meets 38% of what the conservator role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
62.4/ 100
1 How much of what a conservator is expected to do is already part of a collection manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the conservator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A conservator role treats 6 of its required skills as things a collection manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assess museum object condition
- coordinate operational activities
- cope with challenging demands
- create collection conservation plan
- museum databases
- use ICT resources to solve work related tasks
What stands in the way is 9 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A conservator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a collection manager background worth leading with.
- already held assess museum object condition information skills
- already held create collection conservation plan management skills
- already held provide project information on exhibitions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held respect cultural differences in the field of exhibition communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held cope with challenging demands communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use ICT resources to solve work related tasks working with computers
All 12 carried skills, including the 6 the conservator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn examine conservation issues required
- still to learn assess conservation needs required
- still to learn structure information required
- optional, not held estimate restoration costs optional
- optional, not held estimate restoration costs of antique items optional
- still to learn plan measures to safeguard cultural heritage required
- still to learn apply strategic thinking required
- still to learn meet deadlines required
- optional, not held supervise projects for the conservation of heritage buildings optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- still to learn provide conservation advice required
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- optional, not held present reports optional
- still to learn ensure safety of exhibition required
- optional, not held art collections optional
- optional, not held cultural history optional
- optional, not held furniture, carpet and lighting equipment products optional
- optional, not held history optional
- optional, not held apply restoration techniques optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a conservator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 examine conservation issues practise this
- 02 assess conservation needs practise this
- 03 ensure safety of exhibition practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 12 skills that carry over
- already held assess museum object condition skill
- already held coordinate operational activities skill
- already held cope with challenging demands skill
- already held create collection conservation plan skill
- already held museum databases knowledge
- already held use ICT resources to solve work related tasks skill
- already held art history knowledge
- already held art-historical values knowledge
- already held evaluate art quality skill
- already held interact with an audience skill
- already held provide project information on exhibitions skill
- already held respect cultural differences in the field of exhibition skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held historic architecture optional
- optional, not held cultural projects optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply restoration techniques optional
- optional, not held art collections optional
- optional, not held cultural history optional
- optional, not held cultural projects optional
- optional, not held estimate restoration costs optional
- optional, not held estimate restoration costs of antique items optional
- optional, not held furniture, carpet and lighting equipment products optional
- optional, not held supervise projects for the conservation of heritage buildings optional
- optional, not held historic architecture optional
- optional, not held history optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held present reports optional
18 held skills the conservator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on loans of art work for exhibitions skill
- not needed by the target role arrange interlibrary loans skill
- not needed by the target role coach employees skill
- not needed by the target role collection management software knowledge
- not needed by the target role compile detailed collection inventory skill
- not needed by the target role conservation techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role contribute to specialised publications skill
- not needed by the target role digitization knowledge
- not needed by the target role document museum collection skill
- not needed by the target role establish high standards of collections care skill
- not needed by the target role handle artworks skill
- not needed by the target role implement risk management for works of art skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role monitor museum environment skill
- not needed by the target role museology knowledge
- not needed by the target role present exhibition skill
- not needed by the target role supervise artefact movement skill
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held art collections optional
- optional, not held cultural history optional
- optional, not held cultural projects optional
- optional, not held furniture, carpet and lighting equipment products optional
- optional, not held historic architecture optional
- optional, not held history optional
Common questions about this move
Can a collection manager become a conservator?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A collection manager already covers 38% of what a conservator is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 6 of which the conservator role treats as required.
What skills does a collection manager need to become a conservator?
9 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is examine conservation issues.
How hard is the move from collection manager to conservator?
Its learning distance is 62.4 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.