Diversifying participation in the historic environment workforce in the UK

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A report has been issued which has examined ethnic diversity within the historic environment workforce in the UK.

 The report which was commissioned by the Council for British Archaeology Diversifying Participation Working Group and funded by English Heritage identified barriers to participation for minority ethnic groups in education, volunteer schemes and the workforce. The report also made a number of recommendations to overcome diversity issues through better data collection, greater profiling of ethnic minority involvement and improvement in recruitment processes and professional practices.

Doeser, J, Dhanjal, S, Hinton, A, & Orton, C, 2011 Diversifying Participation in the Historic Environment Workforce. A report commissioned by the Council for British Archaeology Diversifying Participation Working Group. London: UCL Centre for Applied Archaeology (downloadable from here).

Basically the report points out that in Britain there are very few BME (Black or Minority Ethnic) individuals in the heritage industry in the UK. One guy in discussing it on BAJR forum says in several decades work in the UK, he's only met three diggers of minority ethnic origin. Now I think of it, I recall just two in several hundred in my own experience (but one was a staff member - osteologist - on an Ipswichian fossil mammoth dig rather than archaeology, so might not really count).  

A couple of the points made in the discussion on the BAJR forum are interesting, particularly this by "Wax (post # 15):

I have noticed my local Y[oung] A[rchaeologists'] C[lub]'s members do reflect the area's ethnic mix but some how that does not seem to carry on with those who go on to study heritage subjects at University. I think Kevin is right with the lack of decent wages and job security anyone from an ethnic minority aspiring to a University education would probably focus on study that would give them a well paid job and status. Sort the problems inherent in the profession and you might well get a more diverse work force.

Interestingly this is a wider phenomenon, there are very few 'ethnic minority' metal detectorists in the UK (the PAS can perhaps tell us how many), and I think I'd be right in saying there are very few BME ancient coin collectors and even fewer BME ancient coin dealers in the US.

Vignette: Lara Croft