It’s National Apprenticeships Week and I’ve been reflecting on my first two months as a Level 7 Archivist and Records Manager apprentice here at The National Archives. This is my story about how I got into archives, what I’ve been doing so far and where I hope my apprenticeship journey will take me.
Starting a career in archives
In 2023, I was in the last year of my law degree. Inspired by a history class on the civil rights movement and activists such as Angela Davis, I was set on becoming a human rights lawyer. But law wasn’t the career I had romanticised – it was the stories of social justice and activism that I was truly passionate about. And then I discovered archives, without which I couldn’t have learnt about the life of Olive Morris, who helped set up the first networks for women of colour in Britain, or the lives of my own ancestors who immigrated to London.
It was the transformative impact of archives, to both society and individuals, and the “activist archivist” movement – encouraging archivists to use the power of archives to promote accountability, open government, diversity, and social justice – that motivated me to apply for the Level 7 Archivist and Records Manager apprenticeship at The National Archives. Launched in 2023, the apprenticeship is a new technical training route into the archives sector in England and is an alternative to the Master’s degree in Archive Management typically required to become a qualified archivist. For individuals who may not be able to afford the Master’s degree, like myself, the apprenticeships offer the life-changing opportunity to gain hands-on professional experience and to work while pursuing my passion.
By reducing the academic barriers to becoming an archivist, these apprenticeships are enabling a wider range of people to start a career in archives. Since the apprenticeships’ launch, around 20 archive services across England have employed an archivist apprentice.
The path ahead
The Level 7 Archivist and Records Manager apprenticeship lasts three years, followed by a six-month end-point assessment period. I spend four days a week working at The National Archives, learning on the job, and one day a week doing off-the-job training. This involves attending online and in-person sessions with other apprentices and building a portfolio of evidence, which is used in the end-point assessment to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and behaviours that I have learnt.
While at The National Archives, I will continue spending three months at a time in a variety of departments, helping colleagues to deliver day-to-day operations and special projects. The range of activities is expansive, from acquiring and managing archive collections to helping archive users and engaging wider audiences. I’m committing myself not only to learning what is required to become a qualified archivist, but also to upholding The National Archives’ conviction that ’archives are for everyone, and that archives change lives for the better’.
First stop: Document Services
To begin the first of many placements, I’ve been working in the Document Services Department (DSD), taking on different roles and learning from colleagues. Starting off in the record repositories and ending my time with DSD in the Front of House Team, I’ve already gained a wide range of practical knowledge and skills, as well as greater appreciation for all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes at The National Archives.
DSD is responsible for retrieving archival material for all stakeholders, including members of the public, staff, and government. Additionally, DSD provides advice and guidance for visitors and enquirers and maintains the security of the records held by The National Archives, helping preserve them for generations to come.
Working in DSD, especially with physical records, requires strong attention to detail and focus, ensuring accuracy and care when retrieving (known as ‘producing’) and returning documents. While in the record repositories, I learnt how to handle documents, endorse them (in other words, checking their reference and repository location is correct) and use The National Archives’ IT systems and databases to undertake document searches. Part of this work was locating ‘missing’ documents and reuniting ‘strays and fragments’, which are sections of documents that have become separated.
I also got the chance to work on the HO 144 project, processing hundreds of Home Office records, checking their contents, condition, and references against the inventory. Among nationality and naturalisation documents, I came across records about the ‘Royal Homes for Ladies with Limited Income’, documenting social inequalities and the role of charity in Victorian England, and ‘The Gedling Poisoning Case’, a potential miscarriage of justice from 1887. This experience gave me insight into the diverse roles and responsibilities of an archivist and the records in the catalogue, inspiring me to carry out my own research in the future.
As well as engaging with different records in DSD, I was able to work closely with lots of different people in the Front of House Team. By shadowing colleagues as they help members of the public online (via emails and our chat function), and in person (by post and in the reading rooms), I’ve seen first-hand the variety of topics that people enquire about, from military history to changes of name.
Just as DSD started me on my journey at The National Archives, the Front of House Team is also responsible for starting readers on theirs. The team helps users to order, view, and copy documents, empowering people through access to information and knowledge.
The end goal of the journey
Thinking beyond becoming a qualified archivist at the end of the Level 7 Archivist and Records Manager apprenticeship, I hope to explore my interest in the evolving relationship between archives, recordkeeping systems, and struggles for different social justice objectives. I want to inspire other young people to use the power of archives for social and sectoral change.
Archives are home to our collective memory, shaped by the lived experiences and struggles of different communities and individuals, past and present. However, some communities and individuals have been underrepresented from traditional archival collections and careers in the library, archives, and information sectors. Importantly, the apprenticeship aims to diversify the workforce so that more people can contribute to the historical record, disrupting traditional archival practices, preserving our shared histories, and amplifying everyone’s voices.
This is a fascinating introduction to opening up the world of archives “from the other side”, ie those who get to work in them under a new system. So good too that this sort of scheme makes the value of Archives less of a mystery to people who might otherwise never venture into them.
Thank you for telling us about your apprenticeship and your passion for using history to enlighten us now, and to take clearer understanding into the future. There is so much to discover, and to share! Wishing you diligence and thrills in equal measure.
Thank you for providing an interesting insight into your work. I’m left wondering how you stop yourself from becoming totally submerged, side-tracked and inspired when reading the documents that you are working on, to the total exclusion of actually getting the practical job done?! Regrettably I am now far too old to do an apprenticeship – how nice it would have been to start 50 years ago!