Archaeological Technician Apprentice

26th July 2021

Border Archaeology is looking for someone passionate about Archaeology to become part of the Border Family. This is a multi-disciplinary profession from field digs to digital surveying, palaeoenvironmental processing and analysis, finds processing, human osteology, archiving, illustration, research and historic buildings.

The archaeological apprenticeship offered at Border Archaeology includes field archaeology training in line with our established graduate traineeship programme. However, it also includes skill acquisition within multiple specialist departments within commercial archaeology that include digital surveying and processing, palaeoenvironmental processing and analysis, finds processing and cataloguing, human osteology, archiving, illustration, research and historic buildings.

Apprentices will be welcomed onto our excavation sites for an average of three days per week and will have the opportunity to work on multiple sites so as to experience archaeology from many different time periods as well as a range of site conditions and site investigation methodologies. Apprentices will be buddied up with members of our experienced field team but will also find comradeship from trainees.

Apprentices will also have the opportunity to work within specialised departments and develop their understanding of their ultimate career goal. Through this, apprentices will appreciate the lifecycle of an archaeological project and the importance of all facets of historic environment practice.

Apprentices will have full access to our experienced and knowledgeable staff and will be able to arrange periods of job shadowing as well as one-to-one mentoring.

A driving licence is an essential prerequisite within commercial archaeology. However, apprentices who are learning to drive will not be excluded from this opportunity provided they understand this will limit the breadth of their learning potential.

Duties include:

  • Assisting with manual excavation of archaeological deposits
  • Assisting with recovery of artefacts and environmental samples
  • Assisting with data gathering tasks and site surveys
  • Undertaking the processing of artefacts and soil samples
  • Washing, labelling, bagging and cataloguing artefacts
  • Processing and sorting environmental samples
  • Data entry
  • Archiving of materials, records and digital data

To find our more and to apply please go to https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeship/-629614