The Museums Association (MA) is bringing back its Transformers programme – a scheme designed to help people in the sector change the way they work for the better – for the third consecutive year.

Aimed a mid-career museum professionals, the scheme is designed to support individual change, and to encourage healthier, more resilient, diverse and adaptable organisations.

Available across the UK for this first time thanks to support from sector bodies in England, Wales, Scotland and now Northern Ireland, the programme is made up of three separate strands.

The first of these strands looks at a radical change project over 12 months, focusing on new ideas, innovation and problem solving.

Strand two covers two days of intensive learning, focused on change management, partnership working, dealing with fear, and influencing, and is informed by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s (PHF) Our Museum project with support from the PHF.

The final strand will provide 20 mid-career museum professionals from multiple backgrounds with personal development programmes in which they will be equipped with the tools needed to be able to negotiate and influence within their own organisations.

In partnership with the MA, 166 places funded by Arts Council England (ACE) are available in England, while seven places – funded by Museums Galleries Scotland – are available in Scotland. National Museums Northern Ireland is offering five places in Northern Ireland and 13 places, funded by the Welsh Museums Federation, are available for Welsh organisations.

“We are absolutely delighted that the Transformers programme will be offering opportunities to museum professionals across all four nations in 2017,” said Jess Turtle, Transformers project coordinator.

“We want to ensure that mid-career professionals across the UK are empowered to make a change for themselves, their own organisations and the communities they serve.

“We are really pleased to be able to extend and deepen the impact of Transformers in this way.”

Applications to the Transformers 2016 programme will open in November.