Education
In support of the DIF, Professor Chris Gosden, Director, Institute of Archaeology, wrote:
‘Metal detectorists are one of the largest groups of people in Britain engaged with archaeology’.
Education is generally considered a fundamental requirement for gaining knowledge and experience, especially in fields like archaeology, where the practice can have both positive and detrimental effects on heritage. This is particularly significant in metal detecting, where the focus is on searching for and retrieving artefacts that form the archaeological record — a non replenishable resource.
Yet, when setting out to create a course on metal detecting in archaeology in 2017, the course held at and in association with the University of Oxford, would become Britain’s first ever course on the subject.
Why, and how could one of the largest groups of people in Britain engaged with archaeology not have had the opportunity to enhance their knowledge in the subject? That is a complex and challenging question to address.
The DIF, in developing standards, methods, and guidance, believes that broadening the scope from being a metal detectorist to either an archaeo-detectorist who supports archaeological principles or a practitioner detectorist as a profession, introduces a new and interesting element in combining fieldwalking with metal detecting.
Winning the prestigious award for the UK’s top archaeological course of the year.
In 2019, our course Metal Detecting for Archaeological Projects: An Introduction, won the national, Archaeology Training Forum Award, which recognises and promotes best practice in training or professional development in archaeology.
The award, presented at the CIfA2019 conference ‘Archaeology: Values, Benefits, and Legacies’—an annual training event and conference, attracted considerable interest from the archaeological press:
University of Oxford – Press Release – Detectorists Win National Archaeology Training Award:
National recognition
The course earned plaudits from the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA), which gave its first-ever endorsement to metal detecting as a subject – allowing the course to be taught throughout the UK, and issuing all attendees on the Oxford course with a personalised CIfA Continuing Professional Development Certificate.
And in April 2019, the course picked up a national award: the Archaeology Training Forum Award was presented to Keith Westcott and The Association of Detectorists CIC at the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists Annual Conference.
Toby Martin, Departmental Lecturer in Archaeology, said, ‘It’s a prestigious award – and the course was up against some stiff competition from much larger organisations, such as Historic England, which had won in previous years.’
Kate Geary of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) writes:
The 2019 Award, presented at the opening event of the CIfA Conference, was won by ‘Metal Detecting for Archaeological Projects’, an initiative that aims to train detectorists in archaeological principles, techniques, standards and ethics. The initiative responds to demand from detectorists to become better integrated into archaeological practice and for them to be recognised as having specialist skills that can have an important place in archaeological fieldwork.
The Archaeology South-East initiative ‘Where do you draw the line’ was Highly Commended: a training scheme related to harassment at work. The carefully devised course provided high-quality training for all ASE staff in what behaviours to expect within the organisation but also externally, when in the field or dealing with the public. A better understanding of acceptable behaviour has the potential to make ASE a better place to work and an employer of choice.
The ATF Training Award recognises excellence in training, learning and professional development. It is open to organisations and individuals in both the paid and voluntary sectors and aims to promote the value of training to the discipline as a whole.
