Photos and quotes from five graduate trainees in the heritage sector.

1. A Skills for the Future project

2. Laura Butland,
Graduate Trainee
at the Infirmary
museum, University
of Worcester City
Campus and the
Infirmary museum

3. Getting to grips with all
aspects of conservation work
has been one of the most
rewarding aspects of the
traineeship for me. We have a
wide variety of objects in the
collection, all with different
handling and storage needs,
and I’ve learnt so much by
working with these artefacts
on a daily basis.
Laura Butland,
Graduate Trainee at the Infirmary museum,
University of Worcester City Campus

4. Spending time cataloguing and
organising objects can be one of
the more mundane aspects of
the traineeship, but the
experience has been
invaluable. These objects really
illuminate the stories of the
people whose lives we celebrate
in the museum
Laura Butland,
Graduate Trainee at the Infirmary museum,
University of Worcester City Campus

5. Children and school groups
love the gruesome side of the
Museum. It’s always a good
opportunity to get a bone saw
out and really get people
engaged in the history of
medicine!
Laura Butland,
Graduate Trainee at the
George Marshall Medical Museum

6. Apothecaries and chemists can
bring back a lot of memories for
people, especially talking about
home cures and their Mum’s
remedies, so it’s a great talking
point for visitors
Laura Butland,
Graduate Trainee at the
George Marshall Medical Museum

7. Sarah Baker,
Graduate Trainee
at the Elgar
Birthplace Museum

8. The opportunity to take advantage of the
Skills for the future offer: a mixture of
academia, training sessions and ‘on the
job’ training has been invaluable
Sarah Baker,
Graduate Trainee at the
Elgar Birthplace Museum

9. Meeting so many different
people and gaining so
many different contacts
within the heritage sector
has been a really important
part of the traineeship
Sarah Baker,
Graduate Trainee at the
Elgar Birthplace Museum

10. Sarah Stretton,
Graduate Trainee
University of
Worcester Research
Collections and the
Hurd Library

11. One of the most useful things
I’ve taken from my traineeship
is understanding how I work
best and where my broad skills
are, which is invaluable
knowledge to have
Sarah Stretton, Graduate Trainee at the
University of Worcester Research Collections

12. This traineeship appealed
to me because I wanted to
build upon my existing
skills base and develop my
interest in opening up
history to wider audiences.
Sarah Stretton, Graduate Trainee at the
University of Worcester Research Collections

13. Developing a blog for the Hurd
Library was inspired by the
fascinating details I was
discovering daily, which I
wanted to share with more
people and record for future
reference
Sarah Stretton, Graduate Trainee
at the Hurd Library

14. Studying the Hurd letters has
been a highlight for me -
they give a fantastic
overview of the life of Bishop
Hurd from his early twenties
until his eighties, painting a
picture of a fascinating and
influential man.
Sarah Stretton, Graduate Trainee
at the Hurd Library
Sarah Stretton, Graduate Trainee

15. Shabeena Anait,
Graduate Trainee
at the Museum of
Royal Worcester

16. The Victorian gallery is one of
my favourite places in the
Museum. The two richly gilded
Thomas Bott Norman Conquest
vases which can be found here
command attention in the
gallery, immediately catching
the eye
Shabeena Anait,
Graduate Trainee at the Museum
of Royal Worcester

17. Handling exquisite pieces of
Royal Worcester Porcelain
has been a definite highlight
of my work placement. I have
picked up new skills by
taking items of varied types
and styles through the full
process of museum
documentation, care, display
and interpretation.
Shabeena Anait,
Graduate Trainee at the Museum
of Royal Worcester

18. Shabeena Anait,
Graduate Trainee at the Museum
of Royal Worcester
When I joined the training
programme I wanted to
proactively challenge
myself by working out of my
comfort zone and to
embrace new experiences
at every turn. So far, my
expectations have been
met, if not exceeded!

19. Tamsin Rowe,
Graduate Trainee
at the Worcester
Cathedral Library
and Archive

20. Worcester Cathedral Library
has 7,000 books. I have relished
the opportunity to work with a
nationally important collection.
Tamsin Rowe,
Graduate Trainee at the Worcester
Cathedral Library and Archive

21. I’ve been made to feel
really at home in my
placement; everyone has
been so friendly and
welcoming.
Tamsin Rowe,
Graduate Trainee at the
Worcester Cathedral Library
and Archive

22. The modern day
scriptorium
Tamsin Rowe,
Graduate Trainee at the Worcester
Cathedral Library and Archive