Archaeologists will be in demand in the UK, report finds
The United Kingdom is set to see a surge in major infrastructure projects with more than 40 planned across the country over the next 17 years. A new report from Historic England published this month has revealed there will not be enough trained archaeologists to deal with the exploratory excavations that must take place before any construction starts.
Three thousand people are currently employed in commercial archaeology in England. This will need to grow by a minimum of 25% over the next six years to meet demand. Existing routes for qualifications are unlikely to deliver enough people in the timescale, so Historic England is working with partners in the sector to put new approaches in place to meet demand.
Historic England will work with universities and others to promote field academies and vocational training. Major archaeological employers are working together to set up apprenticeships in key skills, and archaeological field schools to produce specifically trained graduates, especially as excavators on digs. These schools will follow the model of the Crossrail and HS2 engineering academies.
Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive at Historic England said: "The pool of trained archaeologists can't grow fast enough to meet this upturn in demand without co-ordinated action from Historic England and partners in the heritage sector. We're addressing the issues found in our foresight report by putting creative, practical and achievable actions in place well ahead of time to fill the gap. Put simply, more spadework is needed, and this calls for us to think hard about how we can offer a new generation routes into the profession."