The development of the professional accreditation of conservator-restorers: a form of professional systems architecture.

The Professional Accreditation of Conservator-Restorers (PACR) is a practice-based professional qualifying framework developed by three United Kingdom associations representing practitioners in the conservation of cultural heritage. The author acted as project consultant for the development and implementation of PACR. To date, the PACR project has consisted of three cycles. The first established the basic principles of the framework through background research and consultation, and produced and trialled a provisional scheme. The second put the scheme into operation, gathered feedback, and made operational
improvements. The third gathered further feedback from implementation, and included a small-scale evaluation to gauge initial impact and identify strategic issues.
PACR represents a successful initiative by a small occupation to establish a robust and potentially
respected credential, reinforcing its claim to be a credible profession. It has prompted a need for greater clarity about the nature and boundaries of the profession and routes into it, and is being followed up by work with the aim of creating a single conservation institute. Beyond conservation, it raises issues of access, qualification and continuing development that are relevant to other professions and professionalising occupations. As a practice-based assessment system it also offers
some learning points relevant to the design and operation of UK National and Scottish Vocational Qualifications.
The PACR project illustrates a form of systems architecture in which a structure is developed to set the parameters for future action. It has provided a vehicle for the author's development as a systems architect in the educational field, and contributed to his commitment to a particular style of consultancy, based on realisation systems and on development work as a source of knowledge and authority. This approach is well suited to a wide range of applications, ranging from learner support systems through to areas such as national qualification frameworks and lifelong learning policy.