The ARA is committed to advancing the professional standards and status of record keepers in the UK and Republic of Ireland. In January this year, ARA began a review of the competency framework to support this aim.

The review started with a consultation involving ARA members, other sector professionals, key employers and stakeholders. We then analysed the job market across all four nations to identify key competencies sought by employers. We also gathered additional insights by working with practitioner-led focus groups. The result is three draft competency frameworks: one for archivists, one for archive conservators and one for records managers.

Feedback on the draft frameworks is now invited. We would like to know, from your own career experience, whether you consider some competencies essential and others desirable. This will help us better understand how career progression relates to different levels of competency. Some competencies will be necessary for all record keepers, but others may depend on experience and level of managerial responsibility. You may also suggest additional professional activities that you think should fall within some competencies, and suggest changes to some competency titles. All views and comments are welcome!

You can access questionnaires for the draft frameworks below. You are welcome to respond to more than one framework.

Archivist competency framework
Records Manager competency framework
Archive Conservator competency framework

The questionnaire will close on Thursday 30 November 2023.