Discovering the Archaeologists of Europe 2012–14

Mar 4, 2016 | IAI Projects

In October 2012 the IAI became the Irish project partner for Discovering the Archaeologists of Europe 2012–14 (DISCO II), a project supported by the European Commission’s Life Long Learning Programme with national co-funding generously provided by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. The project is coordinated by York Archaeological Trust and has 21 participating countries, as well as the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA). The remaining partners represent Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom. These participants are represented by a variety of national organisations from universities and museums to trade unions and professional associations. This transnational project aims to examine archaeological employment and barriers to transnational mobility within archaeology across the 21 European countries, particularly in light of the economic downturn since the previous Discovering the Archaeologists of Europe 2006–08 (DISCO I) project. The results will therefore not only improve our understanding of the needs and current state of employment for the archaeological profession nationally, but also transnationally. The project will also explore the close links between Vocational Education and Training (VET) and working life in archaeology in order to make VET more responsive to the labour market needs of both individuals and employers. This supports the aims of the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training, “ET 2020”, specifically contributing to the objectives of improving the quality and efficiency of education and training and of making lifelong learning and mobility a reality. The Irish project consists of a digital questionnaire aimed at both employers and employees/individuals....