Museums rarely have the luxury of a one-size-fits-all approach to training.
From large national institutions to small independent museums, heritage sites and galleries, every organisation is funded differently. Teams can include permanent employees, seasonal staff and volunteers, all with very different roles and training needs.
Many museums already do a great job of making their budgets work. Some access training for free through local authorities, sector bodies or partnerships, while others have the expertise to create and deliver courses in-house.
But from the conversations we’ve had with museums, there are often still a few gaps.
Where are the common museum training gaps?
Specialist knowledge is naturally a major focus within museums, but wider workforce training can sometimes be harder to cover.
Safeguarding is one example.
Museum teams can come into contact with children, families, community groups and adults at risk every day. Staff and volunteers need to understand what safeguarding means, recognise when something may be wrong and know what to do if they have a concern.
Workforce development is another area that can easily be overlooked. Communication, management, customer service and other people skills all play a part in creating confident teams and a positive visitor experience.
The good news is that filling these gaps doesn’t mean replacing the training you already have.
Make the most of what already works
For many museums, the most cost-effective training plan will be a mixture of different approaches.
If you already have strong in-house training, keep using it. If a local organisation provides high-quality training for free, take advantage of it.
Then look at what is missing.
Online training can be particularly useful for filling individual gaps without having to build a whole new programme internally. It also gives employees and volunteers more flexibility over when they learn, which can be helpful for museums with varied working patterns and opening hours.
Rather than putting everyone through the same courses, start by looking at the responsibilities and risks associated with each role and build your training around them.
Popular training topics for museum teams
Depending on your organisation and workforce, areas worth considering include:
- Safeguarding Adults – helping employees and volunteers recognise possible abuse or neglect and understand how to respond to concerns.
- Safeguarding Children – particularly important for teams working with school groups, families, children and young people.
- Workforce Development – covering areas such as leadership, performance management, recruitment, teamwork and professional development.
- Soft Skills – including communication, resilience, problem solving, collaboration and managing difficult conversations.
- Hospitality Courses – useful for visitor-facing teams, with training covering customer service, complaint handling, food safety, health and safety and more.
Finding the right approach for your museum
Every museum has different priorities, resources and pressures, so there isn’t a single training package that will be right for everyone.
A smaller museum may only need a handful of courses to complement its existing training. A larger institution might need a broader programme that can be delivered consistently across different departments, locations and groups of employees or volunteers.
The important thing is to understand what you already have, identify the gaps and choose an approach that makes the best use of your budget.
If you’re reviewing training across your museum, we can help you explore the different options and find a cost-effective approach that fits around the training you already provide.
For more information contact Georgia Howarth at georgia.howarth@melearning.co.uk or 01273 091 301
