By uniting the museums, greenspace and built environment sectors, Surviving to Thriving (StT) aims to support organisations in developing their resilience through sustainable business models.
Set to begin in April, the programme will be delivered by BlueSky Experiences and focuses on upskilling the heritage workforce across Scotland. StT’s core training is divided into four key strands: leadership, governance, business planning and local community engagement.
“Through the programme we are seeking to directly address the skills gap identified by the sector, and through investment in widespread workforce training we hope to support the sector to navigate the challenges of the pandemic and increase their resilience,” explains business support project manager Fiona Skiffington.
The programme will be delivered digitally, as has now become customary, but is expected to transition to face-to-face sessions when Covid-19 restrictions permit. In addition to the core modules, participants will receive additional skills-based training from City of Glasgow College.
Dundee Museum of Transport, Historic Churches Scotland and The Highlanders’ Museum are among the 40 organisations to join StT.
Victoria Collison, executive director of Historic Churches Scotland, says that securing the future of historic buildings is “not just about fixing the roof” and that survival is more dependent than ever on “people with a broad range of skills from business planning to community development”.
Dundee Museum of Transport’s manager, Alexander Goodger, adds that the programme will enable the institution to “diversify our income streams, trial new ventures and re-connect with audiences locally and nationally for a brighter future”.
To ensure participants can extract as much as possible from the programme, community grants will be awarded to organisations selected to take part.
More information about Surviving to Thriving can be found here.
