Apprentice Archivist
IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM TRADING COMPANY LIMITED
London (SE1 6HZ)
Closes in 10 days (Monday 1 September 2025)
Posted on 22 August 2025
Contents
Summary
This Apprentice Archivist role offers an opportunity to work with one of our Media Heads in learning the working practices of IWM while studying in conjunction with Westminster Adult Education Service (WAES) for their Level 7 Archivist and Records Manager professional qualification.
- Wage
-
£27,000 a year
- Training course
- Archivist and records manager (level 7)
- Hours
-
36 hours net per week (incorporating study time).
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:15pm.
36 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 20 October 2025
- Duration
-
3 years 6 months
- Positions available
-
1
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
At IWM you will specialise in two areas – our Documents collection of historical papers and our Museum Archive of administrative records - although there will be many opportunities to work alongside the other media types in our care. You will also be allocated set time during the working week in order to attend classes and undertake study with WAES, which is undertaken on a modular basis over three years.
You will work closely with colleagues across the museum to ensure best practice standards and documentation, and may contribute to exhibitions, publications and other museum projects. In addition to your studies with WAES, there will also be opportunities to attend training courses in various aspects of museum practice both within IWM and externally, as well as attendance at professional conferences and other forums.
The Collections and Curatorial team comprise the museum’s Media Heads, who are specialist curators that champion the management, interpretation, integrity and use of the respective parts of the IWM collection. We act as the most senior curatorial specialists in our areas and interact with many diverse teams across the organisation to provide expertise and assist with analysis of the collections. We provide support and guidance to specialist curators in the Narrative and Curatorial team, are responsible for the shape and strategic development of IWM’s collections in our media areas, and drive and support any associated public programme outputs.
Where you'll work
Imperial War Museum Lambeth Road
London
SE1 6HZ
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
WESTMINSTER CITY COUNCIL
Training course
Archivist and records manager (level 7)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Negotiate with depositors/donors regarding acquisitions, and with internal and external colleagues/stakeholders regarding security, maintenance and disposal of records
- Confirm that the archives and/or records are stored correctly and they are monitored in accordance with legislation, guidelines and regimes for example PD BS 4971:2017 British Standard Guide for the storage and exhibition of archival materials.
- Develop and maintain archives and records management policies, procedures and processes ensuring their application.
- Consider and implement selection, acquisition, retention, appraisal, classification, audit and disposal principles to records.
- Organise and manage the digitisation of archival material, including identifying suitable records, scanning, creating metadata, and making images available online.
- Manage the care of born-digital and digitised records, including their management, appraisal, classification, storage, access and, where appropriate, long term preservation.
- Arrange, describe and classify analogue, digitised and born-digital records in a variety of formats in accordance with professional standards
- Confirm that accurate paper and digital location records are kept considering the use of different processes such as barcoding.
- Manage compliance with legislation and regulations as appropriate to the service and situation, for example health and safety, Data Protection legislation, copyright and intellectual property.
- Organise and manage audits to make sure that the materials are identified and are stored as safely and securely as possible. This includes making sure that flood, fire, preservation and conservation plans are identified and adhered to by the organization.
- Work in partnership with other specialists for example conservators, sound technicians, or software engineers/developers and other IT experts to arrange for work to be carried out.
- Develop/maintain risk assessment(s) and undertake regular reviews to identify and prioritise risks including mitigation actions
- Use IT software and systems to accurately store, interrogate, interpret and analyse information as required by the archives/records service or by internal/external stakeholders.
- Use appropriate technology and specialist equipment relevant to the collections or services for example workstations or software suites to support digital preservation.
- Develop/manage outreach strategies to engage, develop and maintain internal and external audiences and communities such as open days, social media use or accessible exhibitions to ensure accessibility for as wide an audience as possible.
- Use influencing skills with key decision makers in the sector to enhance the archives and records management service.
- Commission, undertake and disseminate research to support the archives and records management service and/or facilitate research requests from stakeholders ensuring timely and accurate responses.
- Share best practice and/or deliver training to internal staff/external organisations regarding archival or records management activities
- Identify potential funding streams, present ideas, analysis and content and make recommendations, usually in the form of reports, to support the submission of various types of funding applications and future funding strategies.
- Apply project and budget management principles to plan, priorities and balance workload to meet agreed timescales, cost and quality objectives, observing and acting within relevant delegated expenditure authorities and resource streams
- Create content and present information about the collections and/or services for relevant internal or external audiences. Keep up-to-date with sector and wider trends for digital engagement, making recommendations for implementation of changes identified.
- Apply specialism(s) relevant to the organisation or collections, for example: coding or other advanced digital skills, advanced information governance, languages, paleography, working with a specific audience (e.g., children/young people).
- Identify and communicate with various internal/external stakeholders with shared strategies, goals and objectives to identify and overcome barriers to service improvement and collection development.
- Undertake business planning processes including continuity planning and apply legislation and regulations as appropriate to the service and situation, for example health and safety, Data Protection legislation.
- Apply the people/volunteer management policies for example assessing work plans and training needs and managing performance
- Negotiate with depositors/donors regarding acquisitions, and with internal and external colleagues/stakeholders regarding security, maintenance and disposal of records
- Confirm that the archives and/or records are stored correctly and they are monitored in accordance with legislation, guidelines and regimes for example PD BS 4971:2017 British Standard Guide for the storage and exhibition of archival materials.
- Develop and maintain archives and records management policies, procedures and processes ensuring their application.
- Consider and implement selection, acquisition, retention, appraisal, classification, audit and disposal principles to records.
- Organise and manage the digitisation of archival material, including identifying suitable records, scanning, creating metadata, and making images available online.
- Manage the care of born-digital and digitised records, including their management, appraisal, classification, storage, access and, where appropriate, long term preservation.
- Arrange, describe and classify analogue, digitised and born-digital records in a variety of formats in accordance with professional standards
- Confirm that accurate paper and digital location records are kept considering the use of different processes such as barcoding.
- Manage compliance with legislation and regulations as appropriate to the service and situation, for example health and safety, Data Protection legislation, copyright and intellectual property.
- Organise and manage audits to make sure that the materials are identified and are stored as safely and securely as possible. This includes making sure that flood, fire, preservation and conservation plans are identified and adhered to by the organization.
- Work in partnership with other specialists for example conservators, sound technicians, or software engineers/developers and other IT experts to arrange for work to be carried out.
- Develop/maintain risk assessment(s) and undertake regular reviews to identify and prioritise risks including mitigation actions
- Use IT software and systems to accurately store, interrogate, interpret and analyse information as required by the archives/records service or by internal/external stakeholders.
- Use appropriate technology and specialist equipment relevant to the collections or services for example workstations or software suites to support digital preservation.
- Develop/manage outreach strategies to engage, develop and maintain internal and external audiences and communities such as open days, social media use or accessible exhibitions to ensure accessibility for as wide an audience as possible.
- Use influencing skills with key decision makers in the sector to enhance the archives and records management service.
- Commission, undertake and disseminate research to support the archives and records management service and/or facilitate research requests from stakeholders ensuring timely and accurate responses.
- Share best practice and/or deliver training to internal staff/external organisations regarding archival or records management activities
- Identify potential funding streams, present ideas, analysis and content and make recommendations, usually in the form of reports, to support the submission of various types of funding applications and future funding strategies.
- Apply project and budget management principles to plan, priorities and balance workload to meet agreed timescales, cost and quality objectives, observing and acting within relevant delegated expenditure authorities and resource streams
- Create content and present information about the collections and/or services for relevant internal or external audiences. Keep up-to-date with sector and wider trends for digital engagement, making recommendations for implementation of changes identified.
- Apply specialism(s) relevant to the organisation or collections, for example: coding or other advanced digital skills, advanced information governance, languages, paleography, working with a specific audience (e.g., children/young people).
- Identify and communicate with various internal/external stakeholders with shared strategies, goals and objectives to identify and overcome barriers to service improvement and collection development.
- Undertake business planning processes including continuity planning and apply legislation and regulations as appropriate to the service and situation, for example health and safety, Data Protection legislation.
- Apply the people/volunteer management policies for example assessing work plans and training needs and managing performance
Training schedule
The apprentice will complete their Archivist and Records Manager Level 7 apprenticeship with Training Provider, Westminster Adult Education Service (WAES).
They will be employed 5 days a week by Imperial War Museums but receive 1 day off a week (20% Off the Job Learning) for their apprenticeship studies.
Apprentices will attend 1 in-person taught session every 12 weeks at a WAES London site and fortnightly online taught session via Teams in between. In the alternate weeks they will do self-directed learning at home.
More training information
Westminster Adult Education Service has many years’ experience in successfully training and preparing apprentices for assessment from a wide range of businesses across a variety of sectors. They have a five-star rating from our apprenticeship employer partners on the Government’s apprenticeship service. They are specialists in Cultural Heritage apprenticeship provision.
To find out more go to:https://www.waes.ac.uk/partnerships/apprenticeships/
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade Grade A-C or 9-4 equivalent)
- Maths (grade Grade A-C or 9-4 equivalent)
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Presentation skills
- Administrative skills
- Number skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Creative
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
- Patience
Other requirements
Candidates who hold any existing qualifications in archives or records management are not eligible to apply for this apprenticeship.
About this employer
IWM is a global leader in developing and communicating a deeper understanding of the causes, course, and consequences of war. Using the personal stories and experiences in our unique collections, our objective is to challenge people of all ages to look at war and conflict from different perspectives.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
25 days of annual leave, with public holidays on top. After 3 years, this increases to 27 days and after 5 years, you’ll get 30 days. Company Group Pension Plan. IWM4me: Benefits to your unique needs. Cycle 2 Work & Cycle Hire. Eye Tests.
After this apprenticeship
The Level 7 Archivist and Records Manager apprenticeship is a technical training route into the archives sector in England and is equivalent to the postgraduate qualification typically required to become a qualified archivist. Qualified archivists and records managers often find work in local authorities, universities, businesses and heritage organisations like cathedrals or historic houses.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
WESTMINSTER CITY COUNCIL
Careres at IWM
careers@iwm.org.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000338573.
Apply now
Closes in 10 days (Monday 1 September 2025)
Sign in with your GOV.UK One Login to apply.
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.