The AIMA/NAS Part 1 Training Program

In the 1980s, the Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) introduced the NAS Training Scheme in Great Britain. As a result of substantial funding, initially in 1991 from the Department of the Environment and later from the Department of National Heritage's 'Heritage Grant Fund' the Scheme has expanded considerably. From a single National Training Officer in the early 1990s there are now Training Officers or Regional Co-ordinators for the North-East and South-West regions of England as well as Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. Initially restricted to Great Britain, the NAS Training Scheme was adopted by a number of countries in the early 1990s. This paper reviews the introduction of the NAS Training Scheme to Australia during the late 1990s and details the way in which it was tailored and developed for Australian conditions as the AIMA/NAS Training Scheme.