Sharing Skills in Europe (SSE) – a professionnal mobility project

In a European context looking for promoting the transnational mobility of cultural workers, the Network of European Royal Residences has benefited from the European programme “Leonardo da Vinci-mobility” to set up a mobility programme.

The “Sharing Skills in Europe” programme was developed by the Network of European Royal Residences and co-funded by the European programme Leonardo da Vinci – mobility from 2009 to 2014. It offered to professionals the opportunity to go for 4 to 6 weeks to another palace-museum member of the network. Thus, each professional beneficiary of this programme had the opportunity to learn about the practices and museological culture of the host country and to develop cooperation between European palace-museums.

In front of the success of this program, “Sharing Skills in Europe” was renewed twice after the first edition.

Find below some examples of mobility between 2011 and 2014 !

• In 2011, three professionals from the Palace of the Museum of King Jan III in Wilanów (Poland) worked at the Palace of Hampton Court (United-Kingdom) and the National Palace of Mafra (Portugal) and two professionals from the Palace of Versailles benefited from the programme, the first one at the Royal Palace in Madrid (Spain) in the field of reception and surveillance; the second one worked in the educational activities department of Hampton Court Palace.
  
• In 2012, five new professionals benefited from the “Sharing Skills in Europe” programme: a professional from the educational department of Kensington Palace carried out a month-long mission to Het Loo Palace in the Netherlands; Three professionals from the Palace of Versailles went to the Palace of the Museum of King Jan III in Wilanów in the fields of archaeological and hydraulic research.
  
• From May 2013 to May 2014, 17 professionals working at the Palace of Versailles, the Palace of the Museum of King Jan III in Wilanów and the Royal Castle in Warsaw had the opportunity to do an internship in a royal residence member of the Network. These 17 professionals working in several fields (conservation, restoration, archeology, collection management, archives, research, garden preservation, education, surveillance and security, brands and concessions, communication, web and social media and human resources, etc.) have been received in 8 host institutions: National Palace of Mafra (Portugal) Parques de Sintra-Monte da Lua (Portugal), National Coach Museum of Lisbon (Portugal), Historic Royal Palaces (United-Kingdom), Palace of Coudenberg (Belgium), Het Loo Paleis (Netherlands), Foundation of the Prussian Palaces and Gardens of Berlin-Brandenburg (Germany), Palace of Versailles (France).

This project has contributed to increase the skills of professionals, promoting the conservation of very rare and specific “know-how“and encouraging the transfer of experience and good practices.