Competences for Access to the Conservation-Restoration Profession

This booklet presents the work conducted by E.C.C.O. on defining the competences required to enter the profession of Conservation-Restoration. It is based on existing definitions of Conservation-Restoration (E.C.C.O. 2009) and the recognition that the Conservator-Restorer has a public responsibility to contribute to the preservation of cultural property and dissemination of related knowledge for the benefit of present and future generations. The final report, printed in full, was ratified by the General Assembly, in Brussels, June 2010. It combines the concept mapping technique with the language of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) to create a framework that describes the areas of competence required for access to the Conservation-Restoration profession and legitimate use of the title. This is expressed through the rubric of knowledge and skills. Competence is defined as the combination of knowledge and skill together with experience that allows the professional Conservator-Restorer to deliver work consistently and responsibly. E.C.C.O. proposes that it is exactly this combination exercised in the discrete areas of activity described in the framework representing EQF level 7 (equivalent to a Master’s degree) that defines the level required to become a Conservator-Restorer. As such this represents the point at which an individual starts to develop as a professional