'Education is not the filling of a pail, but rather the lighting of a fire.'

WB Yeats summarised the nature of conservation education perfectly in this apposite statement. As a practice-based specialist skillset and a haptic intelligence, conservation educators have two primary responsibilities. Firstly, to provide students with opportunities for direct contact with the full extent of archive and library materiality and secondly, to guide their deeper exploration of this materiality through further study, both practically and theoretically.

This panel discussion aims to bring together three different options for achieving a legacy of excellence in conservation education within the UK archive sector. The first speaker will present a case study on the benefits of an apprenticeship pathway, and the opportunities and challenges this may offer to the employer. The second speaker will detail the important role of the ARA Conservation Training Scheme programme in conservation education as a mature and viable educational tool for existing employees in the sector. Finally, the third speaker will demonstrate the benefits of the taught route into conservation and the role of a robust and comprehensive conservation education through college study.

Through a concluding question and answer session, this panel discussion will provide conference with the opportunity to investigate options for equipping the archive sector with the conservation skills it needs to ensure the protection of collections in the future.