What does the sector want from museum studies programs?

In recent decades there has been a rapid expansion in tertiary education programs that purport to prepare students to become workers in the museums and collections sector. These programs are highly variable in terms of focus, content and pedagogy. Those seeking employment in a diverse sector such as ours need to be aware of the range of opportunities and challenges of working in a variety of geographic and organisational circumstances. There should also be an understanding the sector's reliance on voluntary labour and the difficulties in establishing a chosen career track especially if it has been conceptualised with a focus on major cultural institutions. Similarly, practitioners from all parts of the sector, major cultural institutions and smaller regional organisations alike, should give input concerning the skills and knowledge required of graduates to those designing tertiary study programs. The last national dialogue on this issue predates the establishment of many of these new tertiary education programs.

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