Meet our new trainees!
As part of our commitment to education and training, we are excited to be involved in a new project – the Historic Environment Skills programme. Thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund, over the next 4 years a total of 21 bursaries are being offered across the heritage sector, delivered through project partners such as Lincolnshire County Council (and in particular the Historic Skills Centre), Lincoln Cathedral, Heritage Lincolnshire and, of course, ourselves.
After a tough round of applications and interviews, we have selected two new trainees. Over the next year we will train, advise and guide them through undertaking archaeological fieldwork, pre and post excavation tasks and a NVQ level 3 in archaeological practice. At the end of this very busy year our trainees will be ideally suited to start a successful career in a wide range of archaeological disciplines.
Now that they have been with us for a month, we feel it is time to introduce you to Asa and Maeya, along with some of their thoughts on what they have been doing so far:
Maeya
How did you become interested in archaeology?
I received an email from York University recommending that I apply for their bioarchaeology course. I wanted to find out more, so I went to an archaeology festival and weeklong community dig in the summer. It was here that I quickly realised that archaeology was something I wanted to continue as a career.
What kind of tasks have you been doing?
I’ve been going out to dig sites and helping to excavate archaeological features. I have also been recording the features and the finds discovered within them.
What have you enjoyed most about working with APS so far?
The fact that I’m learning archaeology through practical work. Through this experience I know that when I start an archaeology course I’ll know what I’m doing a lot more than I would have if I’d been studying from a textbook or at a desk.
Asa
How did you become interested in archaeology?
At school we had a Classics department, which is fairly rare, and from that I became interested in learning how so much was known about the fascinating and bizarre ancient cultures. That’s when I learned more about archaeology. I thought it would be a great career because aside from being interesting, it also combines theoretical and physical work.
What kind of tasks have you been doing?
A lot of digging! Though it has been very varied. I have been working on many different sites so far and no two days are the same. We often work with different teams each day doing different sorts of work. Aside from the digging itself, there has been trench recording, finds processing, field walking, GPS surveys and working with volunteers. Even though it has only been a few weeks, I find it difficult to remember every single thing exactly because there has been so much.
What have you enjoyed most about working with APS so far?
The variation of day-to-day tasks has been great, going to all sorts of places, such as a Cathedral, an old pub which needs restoration, fields and quarrys. Everyone who works here has been very considerate also, and they all take time to help whenever it’s needed.