Alison James is a Director of MSDS Marine and a Senior Project Manager. She has recently been approved to work at a senior level in the Netherlands. In this blog she explains a little about the process and why it is important:

As a professional maritime archaeologist with over 15 years’ experience I have consistently worked hard to maintain my professional status. Working predominantly in the UK I have been a member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) for many years and have worked my way up to the level of Member (MCIfA). This is the highest level of accreditation available from CIfA. CIfA champions professionalism in archaeology which is good for practitioners and clients and protects the public by setting standards, improving careers and promoting best practice.  CIfA members are professionally accredited and skilled in the study and care of the historic environment. As a CIfA member I sign up to a rigorous code of conduct and must ensure I undertake continued professional development to uphold standards and competence in archaeology.

Increasingly MSDS Marine are working outside of the United Kingdom and with partners from other countries. A recent example of this has been our work for the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands on the high profile Rooswijk project. The Dutch system of professional archaeology requires professional archaeologists to register on the SIKB ‘Actor Register’. You can find out more about the register here: https://www.actorregistratie.nl/downloads

To ensure that we are able to work with partners in the Netherlands in future I have recently completed the process and am now recognised on the register as a Senior Actor with specialisms in waterbodies and underwater archaeology. Unlike CIfA where membership is on an annual basis, in the Netherlands registration is for a period of four years. As with CIfA, it is my responsibility as a professional archaeologist to ensure that I keep up with CPD and publications to allow me to re-register at the end of the four-year period.

I am delighted to now be recognised professionally in the Netherlands as a Senior Underwater Archaeologist and a Senior Archaeologist with a specialism in waterbodies. This is great news for both me professionally and for MSDS Marine who I hope will be continuing to pursue exciting projects in the Netherlands and elsewhere to the same standards we do in the UK!