15
th
International Congress on Archives
Hoy
www.wien2004.ica.org
6
include several related professions. The statements developed by the Committee on Automated
Records and Techniques (CART), the G4 Electronic Records Working Party and the DLM European
Monitoring Committee for digital records tried to define what is unique to the archival profession and
so provide a foundation for collaboration with other professions or interests, without being subsumed
by them. They addressed operational understanding and capabilities to analyse, develop partnerships
and influence change at a strategic level.
The Australian perspective on continuum thinking about the archives and records being a single
profession, was reflected in the 1997 and 2001 sets of Australian competency standards.
collaboration of the Australian Society of Archivists (ASA) and the Records Management Association
of Australia (RMAA) on the development of the two sets of competency standards demonstrated a
commitment to the continuum approach.
The need to distinguish between operational and strategic approaches to learning for the archives and
records profession was recognised over 10 years ago:
All of the talk about educating archivists in information technology is a discussion of
education for mature learners, people with at least one university degree, many of whom
cannot abide a how-to, technique orientated approach. Rather, they need ideas to animate the
thought processes they bring to every situation they face or will face in their daily work as
archivists.
In addition to the considerable work undertaken on developing statements of competence and
capabilities, other issues facing the archival profession over the last 20 years illustrate some common
threads that are relevant to competency standards and professional development.
The way adults learn in the workplace is currently receiving much attention. Environmental factors
such as organisational renewal, ageing workforces, increasing mobility and the need for adults to keep
learning have prompted major publications from organisations such as the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Centre for the Development of Vocational
Training.
Adult education authors such as Billett and Chappell, argue that adults in the workplace
need time to think and reflect, not just learn the routines and achieve pre-determined outcomes. Even
within a competency framework, learning should be a mixture of structured courses, modifying work
arrangements, regular learning times within the work schedule and mentoring.
There is continuing support in many countries for national competency standards for vocational level
qualifications, delivered by institutions and training providers, including the United Kingdom,
Australia and New Zealand.
The focus continues to be on highly regulated learning structures, with
increasing numbers of industries falling under a regime of accredited qualifications.
Education has been steadily moving away from a curriculum structure that concentrated on delivering a
fixed body of knowledge, and this applies equally to the archival profession. It is no longer practical to
have grasped all the knowledge possible in the field. Anderson and Thomassen argue that the education
24
S McKemmish, `Yesterday, today and tomorrow: a continuum of responsibility', Proceedings of the Records
Management Association of Australia 14th National Convention, Perth, 1517 September 1997, pp. 1836.
25
Business Services Training Australia, `Preface'; National Finance Industry Training Advisory Body, `Preface'.
26
T Eastwood, `Educating archivists about information technology', The American Archivist, Volume 56, Number
3, Summer, 1993, p. 465.
27
CEDEFOP, `Getting to work on lifelong learning: policy, practice and partnership', International Conference,
Thessaloniki, Greece, 23 June 2003, CEDEFOP website:
www.cedefop.eu.int/current_act.asp
(accessed 25 May
2004); Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), `Beyond Rhetoric: Adult Learning
Policies and PracticesHighlights', 2003, OECD website:
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/18/57/18466358.pdf
(accessed 13 May 2004).
28
S Billett, Learning in the Workplace: Strategies for Effective Practice, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, Sydney,
2001; Chappell, Gonczi & Hager, pp. 191205.
29
Australian National Training Authority, `VET What Is It?', 2004, ANTA website:
http://www.anta.gov.au/vetWhat.asp
(accessed 16 May 2004); New Zealand Qualification Authority (NZQA),
`National Qualifications Framework', NZQA website:
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications/
(accessed 25 May
2004); Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), `Providing the Framework for National Qualifications',
2004, QCA website (United Kingdom):
http://www.qca.org.uk/
(accessed 25 May 2004).
