Museums training programme
Supporting skills development within the sector
Our training offer
Working with a network of over 140 UK Regimental & Corps Museums and international partners, we deliver a free annual training programme that encourages skills development within the sector, and explores the benefits of networking and sharing expertise in working with Army collections.
While our training is free for those working or volunteering in Regimental & Corps Museums, our courses are currently charged at £50 for a half day, £100 for a full day, and £450 for our week-long Regimental Curators’ Course, for those wishing to attend from outside the sector.
Please note that all volunteer bookings need to come direct from your volunteer-supervisor.
If you have any enquiries regarding the training programme, please contact Julian Farrance (jfarrance@nam.ac.uk).
Advanced Modes Plus
-- Fully booked --
Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2026
Time: 10.00am – 12.30pm
Location: Online (Zoom)
This course will build even further on the techniques learnt in Modes for Beginners and Advanced Modes including:
- Designing templates
- Bulk location updates
- Procedure records
- Person records
Attendees should have completed the Modes for Beginners course and Advanced Modes, or have equivalent experience of navigating, searching, editing and creating Modes records. Attendees must be confident in basic IT use and use of Zoom.
Modes does not need to be installed on the device being using to join the session. It is recommended that attendees join on a device with a keyboard, camera and microphone to allow full interaction.
Radiation Safety in Museums
Date: Monday, 9 February 2026
Time: 10.30am – 3.00pm
Location: National Army Museum, London
Delivered by the Atomic Warfare Establishment (AWE), this course will provide an introduction to what radiation is, help raise awareness and provide you with resources for safety measures for museum staff and visitors as well as to protect collections.
This course will take place in person at the National Army Museum in London.
Modes Administration
-- Fully booked --
Date: Thursday, 12 February 2026
Time: 10.00am – 12.30pm
Location: Online (Zoom)
This course will provide an introduction to Modes administration processes and include such techniques as:
- Managing users
- Managing files
- Managing multimedia
- Managing indexes
- Managing validation
Attendees should have completed the Modes for Beginners course and Advanced Modes, or have equivalent experience of navigating, searching, editing and creating Modes records. Attendees must be confident in basic IT use and the use of Zoom.
Modes does not need to be installed on the device being using to join the session. It is recommended that attendees join on a device with a keyboard, camera and microphone to allow full interaction.
Introduction to Comms
Date: Monday, 23 February 2026
Time: 10.30am – 3.00pm
Location: National Army Museum, London
Attendees will gain an understanding of how paid marketing, email, PR and social media work together to form external museum comms.
This course will provide an overview of the different communication types available to museum professionals and how to use them in a cost-effective way, including:
- Earned – online press, newspapers, radio, tv, podcasts, influencers
- Owned – website, social media channels, e-news
- Paid – outdoor and digital advertising, print adverts, partnerships
There will be a chance to explore a real-life case study of how these elements work in practice and to explore content creation ideas as a group.
Advice will also be given on how to get stakeholder buy-in from senior management and funders, and how to demonstrate and measure success.
Governance and Leadership
Date: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Time: 10.30am – 4.00pm
Location: National Army Museum, London
This day-long workshop, delivered by Hilary McGowan, will explore what good museum governance looks like for museum trustees and directors/managers.
The workshop will cover why governance within museums is important and how good governance can be implemented in your organisation. The course will include sessions on:
- knowing what good governance looks like.
- how museums might differ from other types of charity.
- understanding what open recruitment is and why it’s important.
- succession planning and the problems this can pose.
- understanding conflict of interests and how to handle them.
- how to conduct productive board meetings.
The course will be interactive with opportunities for delegates to share their experiences and ask questions of other regimental museums.
NAM Conference 2026
Date: Monday, 20 April 2026
Time: 9.30am – 4.15pm
Location: National Army Museum, London, or Online (Zoom)
Join us, either in person or virtually, for the 9th annual NAM Regimental and Corps Museums Conference. The day will be packed with presentations on museum best practice, relevant projects and initiatives, as well as army museum sector updates.
This event also provides an excellent opportunity to network with other UK Regimental and Corps Museum professionals. A full programme of speakers will be announced early next year.
When booking, please indicate whether you wish to attend in person or via Zoom.
Bitesize: Intro to Cyber Security
Date: Tuesday, 14 April 2026
Time: 11.00am – 12.00pm
Location: Online (Zoom)
Join us for our first bitesize training session of 2026.
In this 45-minute workshop, a member of our Technical Services team will discuss how to keep you and your organisation safe from cyber threats.
Regimental Curators' Course
Date: Tuesday, 21 April – Thursday, 24 April 2026
Location: National Army Museum, London
This four-day training course covers various aspects of museum best practice and working with Army collections. It is open to staff, volunteers and trustees working in Regimental and Corps Museums.
Topics covered during the week include an introduction to preventative conservation, learning services, marketing for military museums, research and archives, photo identification, exhibitions, collections care and management, and much more.
Modes for Beginners
Date: Thursday, 7 May 2026
Time: 10.00am – 12.30pm
Location: Online (Zoom)
This workshop will introduce users to the basics of Modes and include techniques such as:
- Navigating Modes
- Finding records
- Viewing and sorting records
- Exporting records
- Editing records
- Creating records
No previous experience of Modes is necessary, but attendees must be confident in basic IT and the use of Zoom.
Modes does not need to be installed on the device being using to join the session. It is recommended that attendees join on a device with a keyboard, camera and microphone to allow full interaction.
Advanced Modes
Date: Tuesday, 12 May 2026
Time: 10.00am – 12.30pm
Location: Online (Zoom)
This course will expand on Modes for Beginners and explore more advanced techniques such as:
- Using and manipulating subsets
- Creating and editing grids
- Validation and termlists
- Managing multimedia
- Global editing via the grid
- Importing data
Attendees should have completed the Modes for Beginners course or have equivalent experience of navigating, searching, editing and creating Modes records. Attendees must be confident in basic IT use and use of Zoom.
Modes does not need to be installed on the device being using to join the session. It is recommended that attendees join on a device with a keyboard, camera and microphone to allow full interaction.
Advanced Modes Plus
Date: Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Time: 10.00am – 12.30pm
Location: Online (Zoom)
This course will build even further on the techniques learnt in Modes for Beginners and Advanced Modes including:
- Designing templates
- Bulk location updates
- Procedure records
- Person records
Attendees should have completed the Modes for Beginners course and Advanced Modes, or have equivalent experience of navigating, searching, editing and creating Modes records. Attendees must be confident in basic IT use and use of Zoom.
Modes does not need to be installed on the device being using to join the session. It is recommended that attendees join on a device with a keyboard, camera and microphone to allow full interaction.
Modes Administration
Date: Tuesday, 26 May 2026
Time: 10.00am – 12.30pm
Location: Online (Zoom)
This course will provide an introduction to Modes administration processes and include such techniques as:
- Managing users
- Managing files
- Managing multimedia
- Managing indexes
- Managing validation
Attendees should have completed the Modes for Beginners course and Advanced Modes, or have equivalent experience of navigating, searching, editing and creating Modes records. Attendees must be confident in basic IT use and use of Zoom.
Modes does not need to be installed on the device being using to join the session. It is recommended that attendees join on a device with a keyboard, camera and microphone to allow full interaction.
Regimental Curators’ Course (Scotland)
Date: Monday, 1 June – Friday, 5 June 2026
Location: The Black Watch Museum, Perth
This four-day training course covers various aspects of museum best practice and working with Army collections. It is open to staff, volunteers and trustees working in Regimental and Corps Museums.
Topics covered during the week include an introduction to preventative conservation, learning services, marketing for military museums, research and archives, photo identification, exhibitions, collections care and management, and much more.
As apart of this course, we will also be featuring our Firearms in Museums day-long course.
Managing Our Information: Archives, Libraries and Information Management
Date: Monday, 22 June 2026
Time: 10.30am – 3.30pm
Location: National Army Museum, London
Join us for a full-day workshop looking at the information held within museums.
With a mixture of shared experiences, good practice and behind-the-scenes tours, the National Army Museum team will cover archive, library and information issues, ranging from information security and data protection, to archive and library management, to displays and providing access to collections.
Edged and Offensive Weapons (Leeds)
Date: Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Time: 10.00am – 3.00pm
Location: National Firearms Centre, Leeds
Complementing the Firearms in Museums course, this one-day course is designed to address concerns about all manner of bladed articles and offensive weapons, from batons through knives to swords.
It will look at the historical landscape and what legislation is currently in force, what material is covered by legislation and, most importantly, how this affects museums and those who visit them.
The course will also look at the conservation of such pieces.
Edged and Offensive Weapons (London)
Date: Thursday, 3 July 2026
Time: 10.00am – 3.00pm
Location: National Army Museum, London
Complementing the Firearms in Museums course, this one-day course is designed to address concerns about all manner of bladed articles and offensive weapons, from batons through knives to swords.
It will look at the historical landscape and what legislation is currently in force, what material is covered by legislation and, most importantly, how this affects museums and those who visit them.
The course will also look at the conservation of such pieces.
