Do You Have Resources to Help Me Pursue a Career or Get More Training in Historic Preservation?

The National Trust offers a number of resources to people looking for education and career opportunities in the historic preservation field.   

Preservation Career Center
If you are looking for a job or exploring a career in preservation or its related fields, visit the Preservation Career Center first. In addition to job listings, the Career Center offers valuable career information including:

• 10 Ways To … -- Short articles designed to help preservationists develop professionally, learn more about the field, and reflect on their own career.
• Professions in Preservation -- Interviews focused on a specific occupation in preservation, featuring Q&A’s with several people who hold similar jobs. Their responses reveal nuances among these positions, offer insights into day-to-day work, and identify the qualifications and skills needed for the position.
• Profiles in Preservation -- Conversations with one particular person about his or her career path in preservation.

The Preservation Career Center also shares other opportunities for professional development through the National Trust for Historic Preservation, as well as additional resources on common subjects in preservation.

In addition to visiting the Career Center on PreservationNation.org, updates are also available through our RSS feed and Twitter (@preservationjob). And if you come across helpful preservation career resources or are looking to fill a vacancy, use the hashtag #preservationjob to spread the word.

Human Resources

All job postings for the National Trust are available in the Preservation Career Center.  The National Trust offers a six-week summer internship program which includes weekly education sessions, as well as work on a specific preservation project. 

Through the Mildred Colodny Scholarship fund, the National Trust provides financial assistance and experiential learning opportunities to individuals preparing for careers in historic preservation. One objective of this scholarship is to increase diversity and multiculturalism in the field of preservation, especially by encouraging people from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural and economic backgrounds to pursue degrees and careers in preservation. 

National Trust Forum and Forum Online

National Trust Forum is the network of preservation leaders -- professionals, students, volunteers, activists, experts -- who share the latest ideas, information, and advice and have access to in-depth preservation resources and training.

One of the benefits of Forum is access to Forum Online, a password-protected section of the Trust web site which serves as a place for preservation professionals to discuss current trends in preservation.  Recent discussions have included topics on preservation education and job opportunities in a preservation field.

Forum Online also includes thousands of articles and case studies and an archive of articles from Forum Journal and Forum News. Find out more about Forum here.

National Main Street Center

The National Main Street Center's publication, Main Street News, is a monthly publication that contains information about job openings in Main Street communities.  Your National Main Street Center membership gives you access to the Main Street password-protected section of the Trust web site which also contains information about Main Street job openings.

Preservation Magazine

Preservation magazine has a classifieds section that lists career and education opportunities in preservation-related fields.  Preservation is the award-winning bi-monthly magazine received as a benefit of membership to the National Trust.  To join, click here.  You also receive Preservation magazine when you join the Trust at the Forum level. 

Preservation Leadership Training

Preservation Leadership Training (PLT) is an intensive one-week seminar tailored to respond to the needs of local preservation organizations.  An emphasis is placed on leadership and organizational development techniques.

National Preservation Conference

Plan to attend the annual National Preservation Conference held each fall.  The conference is an excellent way to meet professionals working in preservation fields as well as to learn about the current issues facing preservationists.

Diversity Scholarships

The Diversity Scholarship program provides financial assistance to individuals who might otherwise be unable to attend the Preservation Conference.  A primary objective of this scholarship is to enable a group of people reflective of the diverse nature of American society, from a variety of cultural and economic backgrounds, to attend the conference and to bring with them their various perspectives and experiences.  For more information, contact us at scholarships@nthp.org.

Publications

Preservation Books focus on every aspect of historic preservation, with new titles added frequently. Topics range from economic benefits to the care and cleaning of historic homes to fundraising tips. Visit PreservationBooks.org to order your copies.