Heritage is not merely a burden and can be seen as a driver of development for a region. What is heritage promotion? How do you enter this sector?
Definition of heritage promotion
Heritage promotion consists of making a local heritage (architectural, artistic, natural…) known and showcasing it in order to boost the attractiveness of the area. The aim is thus to increase tourist flows and act as a lever for development. As a social and cultural issue, the promotion, but also the protection and management, of heritage are also major assets for identity and cohesion as well as for economic balance. Through outreach and promotion actions, this promotion makes the riches of cultural or artistic heritage accessible to a wide audience. It relies in particular on the reception, supervision, and animation carried out by the various professionals in the sector. It also takes the form of organizing heritage-related events, as well as developing arts and cultural education.
How to Train for Heritage Careers?
Master’s Program in Cultural Heritage
For Bac+3 graduates who would like to work in heritage promotion, IESA arts&culture, the international school for cultural professions and the art market, offers a Master in Cultural Heritage Development. This curriculum leads to the State-certified Level I title “Cultural Project Administrator.” The program aims to give students the skills to design a development strategy, with the VMF-IESA prize, for a cultural site or territory and to create tourism products in line with a community’s heritage. This pathway also includes other objectives such as learning to manage a heritage outreach project and designing studies in cultural engineering and cultural policy.
Lasting two years, this Bac+5 in heritage promotion combines theoretical courses and hands-on practice through group or individual projects. After training at IESA arts&culture, students can access various positions related to heritage promotion, cultural tourism and cultural policy. Indeed, this curriculum opens the door to careers such as heritage site administrator, heritage outreach officer or event programmer. Graduates can also take on the role of cultural tourism manager, cultural engineering consultant, patronage manager or director of cultural affairs.