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Digital Skills for Heritage

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Digital Skills for Heritage is designed to raise digital skills and confidence across the whole UK heritage sector.

Lastest news

Calling all heritage organisations: address your digital needs by taking the DASH survey!

The Digital Attitudes and Skills for Heritage (DASH) survey has reopened for 2021. DASH breaks digital down into a series of simple questions that cover a range of key areas. By asking your staff, trustees, board members and volunteers to take five minutes to complete the survey, you can paint a clear picture of the digital skills across your heritage organisation. You will also discover what attitudes and motivations your people have towards using digital. 

After the survey closes, research specialists Timmus Limited will send you your data and provide you with an online dashboard summary to help you put digital to work. This professional-level service is available for free.

The results, taken as a whole, are also incredible helpful for us. Understanding heritage organisations' digital needs today will help us identify our priorities for supporting the sector during the next three years. Please make sure your voice is included in this. 

Find out more about the benefits and sign up for the DASH survey. The survey is open until 7 November 2021.

Helping the sector thrive

More than ever, heritage organisations are looking to develop their use of digital technology. Our Digital Skills for Heritage initiative, launched in February 2020, is designed to help them thrive.

Digital keeps people connected to heritage. It can help heritage organisations weather the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and move into a more resilient, creative future. 

We are offering a range of activities and resources to reflect the varying needs, locations, sizes and levels of digital experience of heritage organisations.

New training, resources and funding will be available later in 2021 – check back at this web page for more info. 

Sign up to our newsletter for updates

Sign up to our newsletter and tick the ‘digital’ box to get the latest news about Digital Skills for Heritage to your inbox.

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How we are helping you

Digital Heritage Lab

Man wearing headphones whilst looking at a computer screen and smiling

This free programme is managed by the Arts Marketing Association in partnership with Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy, One Further and The Collections Trust. Activities are designed for small and medium UK heritage organisations seeking to develop their digital capabilities. 

Activities for the lab have now come to an end, but recordings of workshops, training events and bootcamps are available.

 

Heritage Digital

Photo taken on a phone of a beach

Heritage Digital is a digital skills programme led by The Heritage Alliance and supported by Media Trust, Charity Digital and Naomi Korn Associates. This programme offers training, masterclasses and resources focusing on marketing, engaging audiences, intellectual property, data protection and online business tools and processes. 

Activities have now come to an end, but many recordings and resources are available that will help you get to grips with digital.

Leading the Sector

Four people in meeting using computer and tablet

Culture24’s Leading the Sector was a professional development course in Digital Leadership. A cohort of 16 leaders from medium-to-large heritage organisations across the UK took part during 2020-21.

They have shared what they learned in a free 'Pathway' resource, designed to help other heritage leaders embed digital into their organisations.

 

 

Digital guides

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We have produced free digital guides to help heritage organisations get started in key digital areas:

Driving Innovation, Enterprise and Collaboration

Person and child looking at computer holding butterfly identification sheets
Butterfly Conservation. Credit: Ben Hanson

In March 2021 we announced a new round of awards. These will help heritage organisations make use of digital to respond to current challenges and equip the sector for the future.

Details of how to take part will be available soon – check back to this page and sign up to our newsletter to stay updated. The projects are:

  • Taking Digital Forward: Charity Digital Trust will provide free training and events to help small-to-medium sized heritage organisations use digital to drive business resilience and success.
  • A new online digital resource centre for the heritage sector. Three teams from Arts Marketing Association, University of Leeds and The Heritage Alliance will work together to research and answer the heritage sector’s 100 most pressing digital questions in a range of free online learning resources. Topics will include digital engagement, creating content, recovery planning and digital leadership.
  • Connected Heritage: We have funded eight networks to support communities of practice to pool resources and expertise around particular heritage areas. The networks will open up heritage topics to a wider range of people, bringing new understanding and increased relevance.

Discover more digital resources, useful information, great digital projects and initiative updates below:

A graphic showing different types of heritage organisation feeding into the DASH survey, accompanied by the words "DASH Survey: Helping UK heritage learn more about their people's digital attitudes and skills"
All types of heritage organisation can take the DASH survey

News

Calling all heritage organisations: address your digital needs by taking the DASH survey

What is the DASH survey? Developing digital skills can help heritage organisations weather the COVID-19 pandemic and move towards a more resilient, creative future. But understanding how best to use digital can feel like a large and daunting prospect. The Digital Attitudes and Skills for Heritage
Alistair McNaught smiling in nature
Alistair McNaught

Blogs

Making heritage websites accessible to all

When producing our new guide to online accessibility, Alistair McNaught’s research identified how heritage organisations can make their online content open to all. He tells us more.
BFI at Home Cast & Director Q&A – Judas and the Black Messiah. © British Film Institute
BFI at Home Cast & Director Q&A – Judas and the Black Messiah. © British Film Institute

Blogs

Running digital events: top tips from the BFI

BFI Southbank is the nation’s film theatre, and the physical home of British film heritage, culture and learning. When we had to close our venue doors in March 2020, we were determined to continue offering audiences the very best in film programming and contextual events. We used our digital
Old image of Brockwell hall building in sepia colour
Credit: London Borough of Lambeth/Pringle Richards Sharratt

News

£3.3million to transform Lambeth's Brockwell Hall

A National Lottery grant will help restore the Grade II* listed hall, along with its stables and coach house, to better serve its diverse South London community.
Adult and baby in front of computer showing map of UK
Butterfly Conservation. Credit: Ben Hanson

News

Digital skills projects will support resilience and creativity in heritage sector

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has made digital skills more necessary than ever before. Over the last 12 months, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has been raising digital skills and confidence across the UK heritage sector through our National Lottery funded Digital Skills for Heritage

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