National Occupational Standards in
Archaeological Practice

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AA1 Develop policies and guidance for archaeology

AA1.1 Establish emerging trends and priorities

Performance Required

This will involve:

1. identifying trends and priorities which appear significantly to be influencing the development of archaeological policy and practice
2. canvassing reliable sources of information and opinion to inform judgements about significant trends and priorities
3. taking account of current debates
4. assessing the potential impact of emerging trends and priorities on current policies and practice
5. presenting an assessment of trends and priorities which are likely to influence archaeology policy and practice in a suitable format and justifying to decision-makers

Occupational Context

1. Sources may include:
   • technical and academic journals, books and websites
   • expert opinion
   • official policies, guidelines, legal requirements, planning procedures
   • records of sites and excavations
   • collections
   • records of planned developments
2. Presentation:
   • oral
   • written
   • graphic
   • digital/electronic
3. Decision-makers:
   • internal
   • external

Knowledge Requirements

You need to know and understand how to:

• Access data sources
• Identify and rank areas of priority against agreed criteria
• Make presentations to facilitate decision making

You need to know about:

• Sources of opinion and data
• Current and anticipated policy and legislation

Required Skills

You should demonstrate:

• how to make verbal presentations with visual aids
• how to use of the internet and search engines
• your ability to network with professional colleagues, other opinion formers and influential people
• how to monitor the mass media

Evidence Required

You should provide evidence that you can establish emerging trends and priorities

This will include documentary evidence that includes:

• records of trends in needs, demands and imperatives
• records of opinion canvassed and data sources accessed
• presentations of trends and priorities,

Questioning the candidate, based upon the documentation provided, to explore

• their understanding of current trends and debates in archaeology including needs, demands and imperatives
• their ability to canvas various relevant sources of opinion
• their understanding of current technology
• their ability to justify a course of action to decision-makers

Evidence Rules

• The candidate should have been involved in at least 2 substantive areas of policy development.

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Today's date: 8/9/2008
This page last updated: 27/7/2007 16:17