New Lanark World Heritage Site Education & Access Officer

New Lanark World Heritage Site Education & Access Officer

Thank you for your interest in this post, which is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. We recommend that you explore our website at for further details about the New Lanark Conservation Trust and its activities. New Lanark Conservation Trust holds a Heritage Education Trust Sandford Award.

Employer

New Lanark Conservation Trust is a registered charity (SC008552) dedicated to the restoration and development of the historic mill village of New Lanark, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Trust has two wholly owned trading subsidiaries, New Lanark Trading Ltd., which operates the New Lanark Visitor Centre, and New Lanark Mill Hotels Ltd., which operates the New Lanark Mill Hotel and the Waterhouses (self-catering houses). See company organisational chart.

Salary & Conditions

The salary for this post would depend on qualifications and experience, but is likely to be in the range £21,000 - £25,000. The post carries 23 days’ annual leave plus 12 Public Holidays. Core hours are 9a.m. – 5p.m. Monday to Friday, but due to the nature of the job, the Education & Access Officer will be expected to undertake evening or weekend work from time to time as required. The normal place of work will be the offices of New Lanark Conservation Trust, Level 6, Mill No. Three, New Lanark, Lanark ML11 9DB. It is proposed to offer an initial contract of one year, with the expectation that this will be extended, subject to satisfaction on both sides. The project is funded for three years.

Applications & Interviews

Applications, including your CV and a covering letter, should be addressed to Dr. J E Arnold, Director, New Lanark Conservation Trust, New Lanark Mills, Lanark ML11 9DB, and should reach us by 5th. February 2007. All written applications will be acknowledged. If you are selected for interview, you will be advised as soon as possible, and at that stage you will be asked to complete one of our standard Employment Application forms. We plan to hold preliminary interviews on Thursday 15th. and Friday 16th. February 2007, with final interviews on Friday 23rd. February 2007.

Job Description A description of the general duties and responsibilities of the Education & Access Officer follows. However, the wider role of education in relation to the New Lanark World Heritage Site is expected to evolve, and the person appointed to the post at this stage could be involved in shaping future developments and initiatives in this field.

The Education & Access Officer will report to the Director (Dr. Jim Arnold) and Deputy Director (Ms Lorna Davidson) of New Lanark Conservation Trust. His/her duties and responsibilities will be many and varied, and can be expected to change from time to time in response to developments in the project. The following are likely to be included:

Implementing the New Lanark Education & Access Development Plan, including preparation of progress reports, annual reviews, monitoring of project budgets and evaluation of events and activities
Day to day responsibility for the provision of educational services for schools, colleges and other community groups visiting New Lanark. Close liaison with the Visitor Centre Manager and her staff to facilitate the smooth operation of a high quality services for schools and other visiting groups

Monitoring of existing resources and publications to keep them in line with curriculum developments, and production of new or revised materials as required
Giving talks and presentations on New Lanark for external organisations and visiting groups
Assistance with review and upgrade of the New Lanark Visitor Centre’s facilities in relation to the Disability Discrimination Act
Maintaining records of actual group visits to New Lanark and preparing a monthly report
Monitoring Group Visit Evaluation forms and responding to feedback and comments
Development and delivery of a programme of activities and events aimed at encouraging visits from a wide range of people outwith mainstream education, in co-operation with the staff of the New Lanark Visitor Centre.
Conducting and collating the results of annual surveys in addition to the Group Visit Evaluation forms to assess the success of the events and activities, monitor project targets and where necessary revise or adjust the programme
Liaison with education and community learning professionals, to ensure that services offered at New Lanark meet the needs of schools and the wider community
Organising the resources in the existing Education Rooms in Mill 3 and Robert Owen’s School for Children as a focus for activities with visiting groups
Monitoring and updating the education pages of the New Lanark Conservation Trust website ( and the various information sheets provided in response to general enquiries
Responding to requests for educational resources from teachers, pupils, students and other interested members of the public
Assistance with the development of the market for field trips to New Lanark in co-operation with the New Lanark Youth Hostel staff
The Education & Access Officer will represent New Lanark Conservation Trust on appropriate bodies such as the South Lanarkshire Museums Forum, and will be a member of the Group for Education in Museums (Scotland)
Liaison with other bodies such as the South Lanarkshire Education Resources, South Lanarkshire Community Resources, and GUSTO (Glasgow University Science and Technology Outreach) to facilitate educational events at New Lanark

Background information on New Lanark

The village of New Lanark was founded in 1785 by David Dale as a completely new industrial settlement. Cotton-spinning mills, powered by water from the River Clyde, and tenement style housing for the workforce were built from localsandstone. By 1820, the population of the village was around 2,500, and it was at that time the largest cotton-manufacturing centre in the country. It is now a popular tourist attraction.

Under the enlightened management of David Dale's son-in-law, Robert Owen, from 1800 - 1825, New Lanark became famous as a model community. Owen set about improving and expanding the business, and he used the profits to finance a series of social and educational reforms designed to improve the quality of life for his workers. He did not allow young children to work in the cotton-mills: he established progressive schools for the village in a building known as the Institute for the Formation of Character, including the first infant school in the world, and evening classes too. There was great emphasis on musical activities, art, nature study, history and geography, as well as reading, writing and arithmetic; no punishment was allowed. In addition, the villagers had free medical care, a sickness fund and a savings bank, the hours of work were reduced, and the Village Store provided food and household goods cheaply.

The cotton-mills continued in production until 1968. In response to changes in technology, the water wheels which drove the machinery were gradually replaced by water turbines, and the mills produced their own hydro-electricity from 1898. The village, founded during the Industrial Revolution, survived with few physical changes; it is now designated as an Outstanding Conservation Area, and is in the care of an independent charity, New Lanark Conservation Trust. The village still has a resident population of about 180 people who live in the beautifully restored Georgian buildings. These have been modernised internally, but retain their historic character. In December 2001, New Lanark was inscribed on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites.

The New Lanark Conservation Trust has also created award-winning exhibition areas and visitor facilities in several of the village buildings. Visitors can see a restored Millworkers' House, which shows the living conditions of the 1820s and the 1930s. The Village Store has been refurbished, with an exhibition about Robert Owen's original store, and a period-style shop. In Robert Owen's House, visitors can enjoy an exhibition about the famous mill-owner's life-style and his work as a social reformer, while in the main Visitor Centre, there are working textile machines, and a fascinating audiovisual ride called The New Millennium Experience. The new ride is enhanced by special effects, produced by innovative audio-visual technology. Your guide is a young girl named Harmony who lives in the year 2200. Having acquired her licence to time-travel, Harmony decides to find out why New Lanark is mentioned in all the World History Files …. Visitors can hear the commentary for this ride in English, or in French, German, Italian, Spanish or Japanese, on request. In Robert Owen’s School for Children, restored in 2001, visitors can see a reconstruction of a New Lanark classroom of the 1820s, an exhibition called “Saving New Lanark” about the restoration of New Lanark, and a dramatic audio-visual show in which the “ghost” of Annie McLeod, a 10 year old mill-girl, appears to tell visitors about life in New Lanark in 1820. This show is also available in French, German, Italian, Spanish or Japanese, on request. Owen’s School for Children also houses the innovative Interactive Gallery of light, sound and colour, where visitors are invited to explore and experiment in a multi-sensory environment.

Visitors to New Lanark can also enjoy the beautiful riverside setting of the village, and pleasant walks through the dramatic Clyde gorge, now the Falls of Clyde Wildlife Reserve. There are several other attractions in the village, for example the Scottish Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre, as well as a café, The Mill Pantry, and opportunities to buy craft products, books, gifts and souvenirs. One of the millworkers’ rows has become a comfortable Youth Hostel, and the 18th century Mill No.1 overlooking the River Clyde, has been imaginatively restored and converted as a comfortable 38-bedroom hotel, the New Lanark Mill Hotel. Self-catering accommodation is also available in the Waterhouses, attractively situated on the riverbank close to the Hotel. The Hotel and Visitor Centre are open all year round. Group visits are welcome, and the village offers a wide-ranging and award-winning education programme.

For more information on this unique village, please contact the New Lanark Conservation Trust

New Lanark Mills, LANARK ML119DB tel:01555 661345fax: 01555 665738e-mail: