AICCM recognises conservation professionals who meet the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct by awarding them professional membership. Achieving AICCM professional membership demonstrates that the conservator is a leader in their field, who contributes to Australian conservation as a whole while pursuing their own ongoing professional development.
Professional members are the public face of conservation in Australia. Only professional members are listed in our Find a Conservator online directory and are the first port of call for anyone seeking conservation services or advice. Professional members are called upon by everyone from members of the general public looking to employ a conservator or find out more about conservation in our national institutions, to media outlets requesting expert commentary.
AICCM promotes our professional members prominently though dedicated individual profiles on the AICCM homepage. These rotating tiles feature each of our professional members on a three monthly schedule, displaying their image, with a direct link to their AICCM profile and contact information.
Professional members of AICCM are able to demonstrate publicly that they have achieved these high professional standards by use of the appendix PMAICCM (Professional Member of the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material) after their name in a professional capacity.
AICCM’s professional members have a wide variety of skills, interests and backgrounds, but are united by their shared commitment to the advancement of conservation in Australia.
Applications for professional membership are now being sought.
Assessment Criteria
To be eligible for Professional Membership, applicants must currently be an ordinary financial member of the AICCM of not less than two years standing and have a minimum of five years relevant professional service/employment and a minimum of two years tertiary education or formalised/supervised training in the materials conservation field:
- The nature and extent of conservation specific training/education programs undertaken.
- The nature and suitability of internship or in-service training and alternative training methods
- Evidence of application and adherence to the AICCM Code of Ethics and Code of Practice.
- Evidence of involvement in AICCM activities
- Three referees
Current CV/resume
Professional Membership is granted for a period of five years (in the event of leave of absence, such as maternity or child care leave, the gap years will be counted as zero, for example, for a two year gap the calendar years may be seven but it will be regarded as five). Professional members may apply for renewal by submitting a log book detailing continuing professional development activities. Renewing Professional Members are required to accrue a minimum of 150 points over a 5 year period. Refer to the Continuing Professional Development Point System for approved activities and point allocations.
Application Process
The annual application and renewal dates for Professional Membership are changing in 2023 from April and November to July and February. This shift will align more closely with the calendar/financial years. Applications will be assessed by the Professional Development Assessment Committee made up of a panel of three Professional Members. Recommendations for acceptance will be made to the following sitting of the AICCM National Council.
Updated Assessment dates: November 2023 has been moved to 2 February 2024 and April 2024 is now due 2 July 2024
Initial Applicants
Submit a completed application form, three references and supporting information, accompanied by a non-refundable application/processing fee of $110 to the AICCM Professional Membership officer.
Renewing Applicants
Professional memberships are renewed every 5 years. Professional members who are due to renew will be contacted by the Professional Membership Officer and will be asked to fill in the renewal 5 yearly calculator see below, along with a refundable application/processing fee of $100. Please contact the Professional Membership Officer for further information on the renewal process. All applications are treated in confidence, and notification of successful application or reasons for rejection will be forwarded to the applicant following assessment by the Committee.
Referees
Three written references are required from contacts. It is preferable that the referees be members of AICCM and it is required that one referee be an AICCM Professional Member. The Council may refer to referees for information as to your character, qualifications, training and experience. All three referees must fill in and sign the referee report and return it to the Professional Membership officer by the application deadline. When contacting your referees, please forward them a referee report template found on the AICCM professional membership web page.
Referees should note that their recommendation of the applicant must be seriously considered and that they may be contacted by the Professional Development Assessment Committee. When completing the report, referees need to consider the following:
- Do you know the work of the candidate well enough to comment upon their performance, competence and execution of the work?
- What evidence do you have to show that the candidate is of good character and behaves in an ethical manner with professional integrity?
- Has the candidate displayed any behaviour which is contrary to the AICCM Code of Ethics?
Application Documentation
The following application documentation is provided in Word format.
We request that all files be converted to PDF format and follow the file naming standard of: applicant name / document description (ie CV) / application round (ie May 2020).
Applications must be submitted electronically to the Professional Membership Officer.
Professional Membership Logo
The AICCM permits professional members to use the PMAICCM logo on their email signatures and personal and professional websites according to the following guidelines:
- Modification: The logo is available in two colours- red and black. Do not alter the shape, font, colour, proportion or orientation of the logo. The logo may not be placed on a background that makes it illegible.
- Usage: The logo is for the exclusive use of current AICCM professional members.
- Relational Usage: The logo may only be used by individual AICCM professional members. It may not be used by a company or group of individuals.
- Link: The logo must link back to the AICCM Professional Membership webpage on the AICCM website.
Please contact the Secretariat for the logo files.