We’re excited to announce that the Brunel Museum is one of seven selected by the Group for Education in Museums (GEM) to participate in their new Inclusive Pathways Action Research Programme, with each museum receiving a contribution of up to £5000 made possible through the three year Investment Principles Support Organisation (IPSO) Programme from Arts Council England.
This action research programme supports projects that are aimed at unlocking barriers to work experience, work placements and inclusive pathways, be it new initiatives or developmental work of existing work-based programmes.
The Brunel Museum’s funding will enable it to offer new work experience placements to local secondary school children, building on the success of previous such programmes.
Alongside the Brunel Museum, the other six recipients are:
● Museums Development South West (Bristol Museums)
● National Football Museum (Manchester)
● University of Cambridge Museums (with Westminster Adult Education Service)
● Horniman Museum and Gardens (London)
● National Paralympic Heritage Trust (Aylesbury)
● Culture Coventry Trust
This programme will culminate in a public online dissemination event during March 2026, with many of the projects continuing beyond this date.
GEM is also creating a Community Practice Group around this programme for anyone who would like to be involved in online inclusive pathways discussions and to be invited to the culminating online public event. To sign up to this list please contact office@gem.org.uk
Caroline Marcus, GEM Chair, said:
“We are delighted to support these seven museums in testing and sharing approaches that remove barriers and open up opportunities for a wider range of young people to engage with museum work. This programme will help us all learn how to embed inclusion meaningfully within work-based learning, ensuring the sector grows with, and for, the communities it serves.”
Katherine McAlpine, Brunel Museum Director, said:
“We have a strong track record of providing work experience opportunities of various kinds, and are looking forward to the new opportunities that this funding and our new programme will enable. Many face barriers to a career in museums; we are excited to play a new role in research to widen inclusion in the sector.”