To learn to manage heritage only with experience, or to move into this sector without knowing its specificities is not as easy or obvious as one might think: as in any other area, there are skills and tools intrinsic to cultural heritage management that must be learned beforehand.
In fact, the demand for specialists is growing, inside and outside Europe, but the supply is not keeping up with this trend because there are few managers trained in this area. On the other hand, there are brilliant and experienced curators, archaeologists and conservators in the sector. In this context, when I try to recruit a professional, I look for evidence on how they have acquired key skills for heritage management and how they have a global vision of the sector. In addition, I increasingly look for a solid understanding of what it takes to manage a highly complex and structured organisation.
In this context, it is exponentially important to hire experienced managers specialised in the cultural heritage sector. In concrete terms, the management side of heritage management has been neglected for too long: topics such as fundraising, crisis and PR management or negotiation are critical and should be thought of from a heritage perspective. Moreover, increasing expectations regarding interpretation and experience mean that managers need detailed knowledge of modern curation. In an age when politics stipulating ownership of objects and control of buildings are highly mediatised, a widespread understanding of current political currents is also a must-have for any heritage manager.
Increasingly, business schools are looking for solutions to address this skills gap. It all starts when it is realised that an executive programme is an effective and efficient way to provide an experienced manager with the skills needed to work in the heritage sector. On the other hand, the sector itself is also beginning to realise the importance that other higher education degrees (or just relevant experience in the field) have in the career of a professional who wants to focus on this sector. Executives with degrees in English, management or even mathematics are progressing in the area of heritage. In other words, there are accountants, journalists, lawyers, nurses and even architects who have managed to move into this field.
The world of caring for, protecting and monetising heritage assets is changing. To succeed and gain the best positions in the industry, you will need a combination of experience, passion for the culture and a thorough academic understanding of the sector.
We live in an exciting era where, from Lisbon to London and Lesotho to Lahore, the pressure on heritage is increasing. So we need a new generation of trained and skilled cultural heritage management professionals who can meet the challenges ahead and take advantage of the eminent opportunities, while protecting, preserving and interpreting human history.
