How we can help

We want to support you to realise your potential and, by doing so, realise the potential of the UK’s museum collections and the communities we serve. We understand people’s financial and logistical challenges, so the MA’s programmes have been designed for flexibility and affordability, to make them as accessible and inclusive as possible.

Museum Essentials and the Associateship of the Museums Association (AMA) are two great examples of this, as they support your development without the need for travel, overnight stays or attendance of events.

Museum Essentials is the MA’s free, online-learning programme for all members. It helps you develop at your own pace, as there is no fixed start or end date. This allows you to learn when you have the time and to choose what to focus on.

Museum Essentials helps you develop in your own space, offering access to courses 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whether you are working offsite, travelling, or at home. Working Ethically and Working with Collections, the first two Museum Essentials programmes, have already had great reviews and high participation levels, and new courses are being developed for 2020 and beyond.

The recently refreshed AMA is our core, self-directed, professional development programme to support your progression into becoming a well-rounded museum professional. Whether you are a volunteer, a freelancer or a paid employee, you can start your professional development journey and continue to work in the sector at the same time.

Supported by a development framework, the AMA includes clear competencies, mentoring, peer-support groups, resources and guidance. By undertaking the AMA, your professional competence will rise from “emerging” to “established” over a two-year period.

Our other development programmes, the Fellowship of the Museums Association and Transformers, continue to support professional success, while our programme of one-day events and our annual conference provide additional opportunities to learn, share and network.

We want to inspire your professional practice, to deliver our vision and values for the sector. If you would like to find out more about how we can support you, visit our website or feel free to email us.

E: cpd@museumsassociation.org