LAUSR

Many countries do not have sufficient professional capacity to manage its underwater cultural heritage (hereafter UCH) or fulfil its research objectives. To address this situation, which is acute in some countries, since 2009 UNESCO has, in partnership with heritage organisations, facilitated professional training in a number of locations, notably Argentina, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Spain, St. Eustatius, Thailand and Vietnam. Although there are similarities these courses differ in length, content, and sometimes emphasis. What many have in common is the application of teaching units taken from the training syllabus developed in Thailand from 2009, and published as UNESCO’s Training Manual for the UNESCO Foundation Course on the Protection and Management of Underwater Cultural Heritage in Asia and the Pacific. Organisers and trainers have learned important lessons; most importantly that successful training courses comprise more than the sum of the individual teaching components. In particular those international courses that bring together participants from different cultures present their own challenges, not just differences in language, but also other considerations. This paper, using examples from the courses listed above, will illustrate the structure and organisation of UNESCO’s Foundation Course that not only helps to fulfil the specific goals of the professional training, but leaves a lasting legacy that continues to change attitudes to the management and protection of UCH.