Young Adults

Even if you are not yet able to work or study in the sector, we want to help you get involved in archaeology! Whether you're looking to build your experience with a career in mind, or would just like to add more archaeology into your free time, there are lots of ways to get involved.

Through these different opportunities, you can explore your interests, meet new people, improve your knowledge, learn new skills, and develop your confidence. You will thereby enrich your life and prepare yourself for potentially studying or working in the archaeology sector.   

Events and Activities

The CBA organises a range of events every year, with the aim of encouraging archaeology for all. Whether you're looking to learn remotely or develop your hands-on skills, discover what's on via our events and activities page. You can also get involved during the annual Festival of Archaeology, a two-week programme of archaeology events held across the UK, and resources that are accessible year-round. 

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Campaigns and Projects

As the voice of archaeology in the UK, advocating for archaeology and the historic environment is at the heart of what we do, and we actively campaign on heritage issues. If you want to get involved and help us safeguard archaeology and heritage for future generations, you can find out more about a selection of our campaigns and projects here

Volunteering

Volunteering is a great way to get hands-on experience, sample different tasks, and learn new skills. Many fieldwork projects welcome volunteers, offering you the chance to try techniques such as geophysics, landscape survey, and excavation. There are also plenty of opportunities to gain experience working with historic buildings or archaeological artefacts through museums and heritage organisations in your area. You can even volunteer with the CBA by getting involved with our listed buildings casework, the Young Archaeologists’ Club, or your local CBA group.

To find out more, visit our volunteering page.  

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Click here to discover a range of ways that you can get involved with archaeology at home.

What to Read  

You can subscribe to British Archaeology, to receive six magazines every year that are packed full of recent archaeology news, discoveries, and research. If you become a CBA member, you will not only be sent these magazines but also gain digital access to all previous issues and secure other great benefits.  

Many of the CBA’s other publications, such as research reports and practical handbooks, are currently available to download for free – visit our publications page for more information. You can also keep up to date with the work we are doing and with the latest developments in archaeology through our newsfeed.  

There are further blog posts to read over on the Festival of Archaeology website, which uniquely showcase a day in the life of archaeologists from across the UK. These snapshots provide a great introduction to the people who work in the discipline, the numerous different roles they carry out, and the paths they took to get where they are today.    

Online Courses  

You can start to take your interest in archaeology deeper by completing a range of courses. There are many different courses available online, some of which are completely free!  

  • Future Learn: Offers five free archaeology courses, developed by respected institutions, such as the University of York and the University of Reading.   
  • Historic England: Provides numerous heritage themed E-Learning modules and Webinar recordings that are free for anyone to access, for example ‘Unlocking Historic Buildings’.  
  • Open Learn: The Open University has produced almost 1000 free digital courses, including many in the ‘History and The Arts’ category.  
  • Dig Ventures: Subscribe from £5 a month to access multiple online courses and additional benefits. Each course incorporates videos, quizzes, case studies, top tips, and more.  
  • Nautical Archaeology Society: Purchase three interactive E-Learning courses on maritime archaeology, for a special combined cost of £30.  

Television Shows, Podcasts, and More  

There are many television shows that offer an insight into the archaeological process and what archaeologists do. Some of these are available on-demand, such as Time Team on All 4, which follows a team of experts as they travel the country and investigate different archaeological sites. In The Great British Dig: History in Your Garden, also on All 4, archaeologists excavate back gardens around Britain in an attempt to uncover lost history. Programmes available elsewhere include Buried TreasuresDigging Up Britain's PastBritains Biggest Dig, and Archaeology: A Secret History.  

There are also lots of archaeology-based podcasts, that explore different topics, have special guests, discuss campaigns, debunk myths, and more. The Archaeology Podcast Network conveniently brings together a number of these podcasts in one place. If you want to learn what archaeology is really all about and how people work within it, Career in Ruins is a great place to start. The Arch and Anth Podcast, provides entertaining and educational content across a range of archaeological and anthropological topics. Other podcasts, focus on specific areas of archaeology, for example, ArchaeoAnimals (Zooarchaeology), ‎8Bit Test Pit (Archaeogaming), The Rock Art Podcast, and Site Bites (Landscape archaeology).  

Check out the CBA’s YouTube Channel for a range of archaeology videos, including recorded lectures, interviews, and workshops. Wessex Archaeology and Cambridge Archaeology similarly have channels with lots of varied and interesting content. Whilst The PreHistory Guys channel focuses on prehistoric archaeology. Other channels to explore, include ArchaeosoupDigVenturesNautical Archaeology Society, and Recording Archaeology.  

Make sure you also follow the CBA on our FacebookInstagram, and Twitter accounts, to keep up to date with what we are doing and be the first to know about opportunities to get involved. 

What’s Next? 

If you enjoy taking your interest in archaeology further, you should consider studying or training to work in the sector. To find out more, visit our apprenticeships and university page. You can also watch the films we produced in 2020, looking at the different pathways into archaeology on our Youtube Channel

Partaking in the activities above means you will be able to demonstrate your enthusiasm for archaeology to admission tutors and employers. You may also have gained a better idea of the type of archaeology you like the most – be it Prehistoric, Forensic, Maritime, or any other kind!