LEADING BIAS member Geoff Wallis is spearheading a pioneering concept unique among industrial heritage organisations.
Geoff has helped the Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA) set up a new Young Members Board for people in mid-career and younger.
Said Geoff, an AIA Council member: “I presented a Prospectus to the Council of the AIA who unanimously voted to go ahead with the new Board in June 2020.”
The AIA says: “For many years visionaries within the field of IA have been asking, ‘How can we encourage younger people into our field?’ This is part of the answer. It furthers our mission of ‘Giving our Past a Future’.”
The Board is an autonomous sub-group of AIA members with the freedom and budget to organise their own activities and events, subject to approval of the main Council.
It includes up to fifteen people who elect their own officers, have their own section on the AIA website and are encouraged to recruit additional young members.
They will be able to ‘shadow’ members of Council, and provide up to three non-voting co-optees at Council meetings.
The Board will be accountable to the main Council and overseen by three of its representatives called the Triumvirate, currently Geoff, Dr Tegwen Roberts, and Maryann Soper.
Geoff said: “The initial take-up was very good, with the fifteen places being over-subscribed, so numbers were increased to 20.
“Inevitably mid-career people move jobs, have changing family circumstances, etc so active numbers have stabilized at less than full capacity, but some excellent work is being done by the Board, and the whole Association remains very supportive.
“There are some vacancies. And Board members can join at a reduced fee.”
The AIA says it’s a great opportunity to raise one’s profile in IA by networking and building new contacts, widening the CV, and developing personal skills and knowledge.
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