The CRM section of ASAPA

The “CRM section” (CRM = cultural resources management) of ASAPA was established in 1997 by a group of archaeologists who had been involved in contracted heritage work for a number of years. It was apparent by that time that the discipline was becoming increasingly professionalised. Its members needed to work towards setting up internal accreditation standards that would assist in the maintenance of good standards of heritage management and provide a forum where issues specific to contracted heritage work could be raised and considered.

Southern Africa’s archaeological heritage is enormously diverse not only through time, but from country to country and province to province. As with many other disciplines, archaeologists tend to develop particular skills in their areas of interest. The discipline demands that archaeologists develop areas of specialisation as very few have the range of skill and experience to be able to competently work in all areas of the discipline.

Accreditation of its members

In recognition of the diversity and complexity of southern Africa’s archaeological heritage, the CRM section considers the accreditation of its members according to their specific areas of expertise to be a core function. The parent body, ASAPA, encourages all its members who intend working in the heritage management field to apply for accreditation accordingly. This is so that any person wishing to hire or employ an archaeological consultant can make sure that he/she is appropriately experienced and qualified for the task.

A member of ASAPA may apply for membership of the CRM section for accreditation. The system of accreditation is based on peer review and the decision of members of the ASAPA council.

Accreditation of professional members explained:

Any person or organisation wishing to hire an archaeologist must make sure that the archaeologist is adequately skilled and appropriately accredited for the kinds of heritage or archaeological sites that need assessment. Failure to acknowledge the ASAPA accredited system (which is described below) could mean that the outcome of the study is inadequate and that the significance of any heritage sites is improperly assessed, which can be a serious matter, and cause for objection if the project is part of an environmental impact assessment (EIA). Certain regional heritage authorities may reject a study or refuse to issue excavation permits if the applicant is inappropriately qualified.

The ASAPA constitution states: A person accepted for professional membership with CRM accreditation with ASAPA shall be required to satisfy ASAPA that s/he:

6.2.a Is a professional member of ASAPA in good standing.
and
6.2.b Has a proven ability in the field in which s/he intends to practise CRM.
and
6.2.c Has submitted a curriculum vitae to Council and the CRM standing committee providing proof of the applicant’s training, abilities and experience in the fields in which s/he intends to practise, for circulation amongst, and comments upon by, the professional membership of ASAPA (see 6.6).

6.2.d CRM accreditation is not automatic; Council and the CRM standing committee will vet applicants according to the levels of qualifications as set out under 6.2.e and 6.2.f.

6.2.e The basis for accreditation in areas of professional archaeological specialisation (for example Iron Age, Stone Age, Coastal Shell Midden, Maritime, Colonial Period, Industrial, Rock Art, Grave Relocation and other areas as specified by the applicant) will be:

• Principal Investigator: A Masters degree in archaeology and; a) proof of three years’ full-time CRM practice, or b) a portfolio of five phase II projects at Field Director level.
or
A clear, detailed motivation and a portfolio of relevant projects of prior learning or
Relevant experience of equal value to the above submitted with the application.

The level of Principal Investigator is the most senior of the CRM rankings. It reflects that the committee considers the applicant to be highly experienced in his or her field/s of competence. An archaeologist applying for this level of accreditation should contain within his/her portfolio of work at least five major projects completed from inception to finality under the mentorship of a more experienced peer. An archaeologist accredited at the PI level should also be thoroughly familiar with heritage legislation of the country or province in which he/she intends to work, have a working knowledge of project management and generally have the managerial skills to construct a budget and proposal for a project, staff it, see it through to completion and take on final responsibility for the outcome of his/her work. A PI accredited archaeologist also has the responsibility of mentoring less experienced professionals working at either Field Director or Field Supervisor level. A PI accredited archaeologist would normally head a small company or a CRM unit at a museum or university specialising in those areas of work for which he/she is accredited.

• Field Director: Masters degree in archaeology or proof of five years of full-time experience as Field Supervisor.
or
A clear, detailed motivation and a portfolio of relevant projects of prior learning or
Relevant experience of equal value to the above submitted with the application.

A Field Director is considered by the CRM section to be an experienced field archaeologist who is thoroughly familiar with field techniques and archaeological excavation methods and has developed enough skills and leadership ability to head an excavation or survey. A person applying for the accreditation is expected to have five years’ “apprenticeship” as a Field Supervisor, working for or contracting to a person accredited at PI level or involved in working relationship with a PI accredited archaeologist who is able to provide mentorship. Some Field Directors work as self-employed persons contracting themselves out to CRM units or may be employed by CRM units. They may work as private consultants; however they must demonstrate a mentorship agreement with a PI accredited archaeologist.

• Field Supervisor: Honours degree in archaeology.

A Field Supervisor is a junior archaeologist who has an honours degree (minimum qualification) and has completed the usual course fieldwork that is normally expected for the purposes of graduating from university with an honours degree. A Field Supervisor may mentor the activities of a small group of students or workers on an excavation under the instruction of a PI or Field Director, or participate in surveys under the instruction of a Field Director or PI.

Technical accreditation

The constitution also allows for the accreditation of professionals who have highly specialised technical skills:

6.2.f The basis for accreditation in areas of technical archaeological specialisation (for example archaeobotany, archaeozoology, isotope work, archaeometallurgy, human skeletal analysis, objects conservation and other areas as specified by the applicant) will be:

• Principal Investigator – Specialist Analyst: Masters degree in archaeology or relevant discipline and; a) proof of three years’ full-time practice in the relevant discipline, or b) at least five applicable projects of
equal value.
or
A clear, detailed motivation and a portfolio of relevant projects of prior learning

6.2.g Successful applicants will be accredited with the right to claim expertise in those areas of archaeology in which they are experienced.
6.2.h Accreditation is valid for the SADC region.

A PI in the specialist analyst category would normally be a skilled scientist with highly specific analytical knowledge. He or she would not normally be involved in the management of cultural resources, but would participate in projects with highly technical requirements such as forensic analysis, faunal analysis, conservation and preservation of objects or any other form of laboratory-based procedure.

• Laboratory Specialist: Honours degree in archaeology or relevant discipline or proof of equivalent training and experience.

A Laboratory Specialist would normally be working under a PI accredited specialist, gaining experience in laboratory-based procedures.