RecordMove

Cultural archive manager to conservator

A cultural archive manager already meets 32% of what the conservator role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From cultural archive manager

Distant match

To conservator

10 You already bring

10 Still to learn

33 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

67.7/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a conservator is expected to do is already part of a cultural archive 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

Why this move works

A conservator role treats 5 of its required skills as things a cultural archive 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

What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 10 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 cultural archive manager background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

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 art collections arts and humanities

All 10 carried skills, including the 5 the conservator role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 23 missing skills fall into 9 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 information skills 3 required, 2 supplementary

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

02 management skills 3 required, 2 supplementary

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

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn provide conservation advice required
still to learn create solutions to problems required

optional, not held interact with an audience optional
optional, not held present reports optional

04 assisting and caring 1 required

still to learn ensure safety of exhibition required

05 working with computers 1 required

still to learn use ICT resources to solve work related tasks required

06 arts and humanities 4 supplementary

optional, not held art-historical values optional
optional, not held cultural history optional
optional, not held furniture, carpet and lighting equipment products optional
optional, not held history optional

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

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.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 10 skills that carry over

Skill Type

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 art collections knowledge
already held art history knowledge
already held evaluate art quality skill
already held provide project information on exhibitions skill
already held respect cultural differences in the field of exhibition skill

The 3 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 constructing 1 supplementary

optional, not held apply restoration techniques optional

08 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 supplementary

optional, not held historic architecture optional

09 social sciences, journalism and information 1 supplementary

optional, not held cultural projects optional

13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held apply restoration techniques optional
optional, not held art-historical values 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 interact with an audience optional
optional, not held perform project management optional
optional, not held present reports optional

24 held skills the conservator role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role advise on loans of art work for exhibitions skill
not needed by the target role budgetary principles knowledge
not needed by the target role coach employees skill
not needed by the target role collection management knowledge
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 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 identify process improvements skill
not needed by the target role implement risk management for works of art skill
not needed by the target role manage archive skill
not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
not needed by the target role manage digital archives skill
not needed by the target role manage staff skill
not needed by the target role monitor artistic activities skill
not needed by the target role monitor museum environment skill
not needed by the target role perform clerical duties skill
not needed by the target role present exhibition skill
not needed by the target role project management knowledge
not needed by the target role study a collection skill
not needed by the target role supervise artefact movement skill
not needed by the target role supervise work 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held art-historical values 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

Index

Other moves recorded from cultural archive manager

Full index of moves from cultural archive manager

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a cultural archive manager become a conservator?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A cultural archive manager already covers 32% of what a conservator is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 5 of which the conservator role treats as required.

What skills does a cultural archive manager need to become a conservator?

10 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is examine conservation issues.

How hard is the move from cultural archive manager to conservator?

Its learning distance is 67.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.