Useless graduates?: Why do we all think that something has gone wrong with Australian archaeological training?

Training and Practice for Modern Day Archaeologists

“…Over the last decade, government and private sector employers have been increasingly vocal about a perceived lack or diminution of graduates' archaeological knowledge and skills (see Colley 2004 ;Gibbs et al 2005 ;Lydon 2002 Previous commentary on archaeological skills and skill gaps has been based on anecdotal evidence or largely unstructured qualitative data collected as part of teaching and learning conference and workshop sessions (e.g. Colley 2003 ;Gibbs et al 2005 ;cf.…”

“…Discussions in the profession on the preparedness of graduates for the archaeological workforce have typically focused on speci fi c skill sets (see Colley 2003Colley , 2004 such as basic survey and excavation methods. These concerns are generally re fl ected in the survey data, but the gap analysis shows that other generic and business skills such as advocacy/public relations, statistical analysis and human resource management are also seen as critical across all professional sectors and primary subject focus areas (see Gibbs et al 2005 ) . These fi ndings echo those of Lydon ( 2002 ) , who argued that both technical and broad conceptual skills were vital to meet current demands of the workplace as part of a broader curriculum (see also McBryde 1980 ) .…”

“…Lydon's ( 2002 : 134, original emphasis) respondents "identi fi ed practical skills as those which Human resource management they fi nd useful in their work but which they acquired outside their formal university courses, and they nominated these skills as priorities for further training". As Gibbs et al ( 2005 ) have argued, these skill areas are precisely those that have suffered the most with changes in university funding and pressure on resources.…”

“…Colley ( 2004 : 200) highlights the fact there is no formal accreditation or regulation of professional standards, except that provided for part of the sector by the Australian Association of Consulting Archaeologists Inc. and heritage agencies who monitor research standards and issue permits under legislation, but points out that "accreditation raises a whole set of other challenges and implies a nationally recognised body representing all relevant stakeholders, which does not yet exist in Australia". Gibbs et al ( 2005 ) also raise concerns about the possible use of formal accreditation "against the survival of university departments" and suggest the accreditation of particular courses rather than programmes as a whole.…”

Broadcasting, listening and the mysteries of public engagement: an investigation of the AAA online audience

“…Worryingly, however, we wonder whether our survey results may represent a continuing perceived separation between the consulting and academic realms of archaeology in Australia (cf. Gibbs et al 2005;Lydon 2002;McBryde 1980).…”