Recent Conferences and Careers Fairs

Here at Headland it’s been a busy year so far in terms of open days and conferences! We started off strong in February with a trip to the Scottish Students Archaeology Conference at the University of Aberdeen, where we heard from students about their current research projects; local societies with all their current projects and fellow companies from within the sector; all aiming to show the students what different careers in archaeology and heritage may look like after they graduate. This event also involved a fascinating panel about how to use creativity more as a way of disseminating archaeology to the public and in our interpretation of sites.

March proved to be a busy one as we attended three events across the country!

 We went to Cardiff University for their Spring Careers Fair, where we spoke to a wide range of students about possible careers in archaeology and what a life in commercial archaeology may look like. It was great to chat to so many people interested in such a range of roles, from consultancy, geophysics, fieldwork to post-excavation and report writing, we’re sure they have a bright future ahead of them.

Later in March we were back on home turf, attending Hereford Sixth Form College for their ‘Meet Your Future’ event. For many of us, a career in archaeology is not something we thought possible when we were 16-17, so being able to talk to young people about getting into archaeology was a wonderful experience. Many people we spoke to had no idea that a career in archaeology was possible, while some were already on a path to study it at University. An incredible event and a great opportunity to make archaeology accessible and visible to people who may never have considered it before.

Lastly in March we headed to the University of Bristol for their ‘Your Future in Earth Sciences’ careers event, where our Geoarchaeology team attended alongside RSK to talk to students about a career with Headland in Geoarchaeology, an excitingly expanding sector within commercial archaeology.

Most recently in April we were in Edinburgh, a stone’s throw away from our head office, attending the CIfA conference 2026. This was a truly fascinating few days, talking to people from across the sector passionate about making archaeology a better, more inclusive industry to work in. A highlight was the discussions about community engagement and social value and how we quantify that to prove that community archaeology is a worthwhile pursuit. And who could forget about the panel hosted by our very own Kirsty Dingwall about the future of Archaeology in Scotland. This was a lovely event and was great to catch up with colleagues old and new, and to connect with people who are equally as passionate about archaeology as we are.

In May one of our Principal Heritage Consultants, Sarah Revans, presented a poster at the Preservation of Archaeological Remains In Situ (PARIS) conference. This event, hosted by Historic England, explored how pressures like climate change may impact the preservation of archaeological sites in-situ. Sarah’s poster, created by Leia Carter from our graphics department, showcased her work for HS2; specifically the complex measures taken to preserve the remains of Grim’s ditch, an Iron Age boundary ditch and the only scheduled monument investigated as part of HS2.

We hope the rest of 2026 brings many more occasions to connect with people, talk about what we do at Headland Archaeology, and promote careers in archaeology up and down the country.