Our Skills for Success Trainee Ellen was invited to attend the Scottish Parliament in May along with her Museums Galleries Scotland colleagues.
On the 14th of May Museums Galleries Scotland hosted an event at Holyrood to showcase some of the work being done by museums around the country. Being one of the trainees on an MGS placement meant I was invited to attend the shindig and rub elbows with some quite important people.
After a day of training on accessibility in the museum sector and a quick briefing about the ideas around the event, we trainees got ourselves glammed up (business casual style) and headed off to the Scottish Parliament. It was quite a daunting process, especially given the security features at the front door, but once we were inside with a glass of wine in hand, it really wasn’t so bad!
It was a great opportunity to meet other professionals in the museum and heritage sectors, and see what projects are happening in different parts of Scotland. There were speeches from Cabinet Secretary for Culture Fiona Hyslop and Museums Galleries Scotland CEO Lucy Casot, as well as other MSPs who are interested in keeping the sector growing and thriving. I really enjoyed the atmosphere; everyone was having a look round at the different stalls and chatting. Networking is always a scary thought but thankfully it seems the people working in this industry are always eager to meet me and find out more about the placement – which means there’s more than enough to talk about.
Overall it was a great learning experience; I look forward to my next invitation!
