86 Y E A R B O O K 2 0 1 9 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION TRAINING EVENTS KATE KENDALL AS A lead accrediting body in the historic environment sector, the IHBC has developed strict criteria for assessing prospective members. To help applicants the IHBC established Membership Application Training Events (MATE) which have been attended by almost 600 people in the last four years alone. These events offer talks and exercises to help break down the membership application process by exploring the IHBC’s areas of competence and conservation cycle model and by providing opportunities for prospective applicants to ask questions. They ensure that individuals from any discipline or sector receive a common grounding in how the IHBC assesses multidisciplinary conservation skills, and are a great way to help prospective applicants to understand their skills, knowledge and experience in the context of IHBC membership criteria and accreditation. The membership application process can seem very daunting at first so the MATE sessions are designed to ease applicants along the path to IHBC membership and formal, professional accreditation in a comprehensive way. Branch members and I are there to support each application and to provide applicants with the best possible chance of success. Those who attend the events find them extremely helpful, as illustrated by the comments of Alfie Stroud, opposite. (Alfie attended one of the London branch’s sessions and is now a full IHBC member.) Indeed, 90 per cent of those who have gone on to make their application after attending a MATE session have been successful in attaining membership of the IHBC. MATE sessions are offered free of charge to anyone interested in IHBC membership. Priority is given to our existing members, branches, networks and supporters, including commercial practices signed up to our HESPR quality assurance scheme. Prospective full members learn to apply their knowledge, skills and experience in the context of IHBC membership criteria and accreditation at a recent MATE event held at Historic Environment Scotland in Edinburgh Two main types of session are run, one with the regional branches and the other with heritage bodies and private-sector practices. The content is fundamentally the same but the approach is a little different. The MATE session I attended was encouraging, enlightening and extremely practically helpful. I left the MATE session armed with notes that I would refer to all through the period I was compiling and writing my application, and with confidence that pursuing full membership would be worthwhile. Discussing the application with colleagues from such a range of backgrounds helped me reflect on all the areas of competence and work into my weaker spots – something that’s given more direction to my CPD too. The testimonial application process is challenging and rightly requires real effort, but the chance to reflect on what I know and how I know it was ultimately professionally and personally rewarding: a labour of love! Alfie Stroud
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