¹û¶³Ó°Ôº

Two London schoolgirls completed a work placement at the ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology in August 2005, as part of the Global Graduates 'Young Graduates for Museums and Galleries' programme (YGMG).

This groundbreaking new careers initiative enables gifted and talented students from non-traditional and diverse backgrounds to gain experience of working in museums and galleries.

Mr Hugh Kilmister (Petrie Museum Acting Manager), who is running the scheme at the museum, said: "YGMG gives students who wouldn't ordinarily consider a career in the museum sector the opportunity to get a general introduction into museum work. During the course of the fortnight the students worked with a curator, a conservator and the education officer to find out how museums work."

The students, Qing Xue and Nimisha Mistry, who recently completed their GCSEs, had little previous experience of visiting museums, but are now very enthusiastic about what museums have to offer. Nimisha, who last visited a museum as a primary school pupil, was able to handle ancient jewellery during her time at the Petrie. She said: "It was breathtaking to hold an object which is over 1,000 years old, the whole experience has given me a brilliant insight into an area I'd never even considered before."

The scheme, which has government backing, is currently running at the British Museum, the V&A and the National Portrait Gallery. Yolande Beckles, CEO of Global Graduates, said: "We are working closely with the nation's top museums and galleries to address the acknowledged lack of workforce diversity. Through this initiative, the doors of our most internationally revered cultural institutions will open to fresh talent from diverse backgrounds, who currently don't perceive that the sector provides routes to satisfying and valuable careers."

To find out more about the museum, use the link at the top of this article.

Image: Nimisha Mistry, Qing Xue and Hugh Kilmister

---

• Link: