EAST Lancashire students are set to become the future generation of archaeologists.

A new A level at Blackburn College will teach students to dig up the secrets of the world’s most significant historical sites.

Students who take on the new qualification will study a range of different archaeological sites from ancient Egypt and Roman Europe.

The teacher Blackburn College has hired to take them through the course also works as an archaeological and historical researcher in her spare time.

The college have employed tutor Victoria Buckley who will be encouraging students to get hands-on experience of looking into the past.

Under her tutelage, in the second year the students will be expected to take on their own independent archaeological investigation based on fieldwork.

Victoria acquired a degree at Newcastle University and a post-graduate qualification at the University of York in early mediaeval studies and History.

She said: “While studying I carried out fieldwork on Roman sites in South Shields and Northumberland and Bronze Age sites in Majorca which was a great exper-ience.”

She has also worked at the Lancaster University Arch-aeology Unit, the Oxford Archaeology unit as well as volunteering at Ribchester Roman Museum.

She added: “I completed my PGCE and the role of archaeology A level tutor is my first full-time role and I can’t wait to start.

On the two-year course, students will focus on belief systems, mortuary practices, funerary monuments and links to symbolism and art.

In the second year, students will be introduced to a range of themes and controversies in world archaeology.

For more information regarding the course, go to www.blackburn.ac.uk/course/archaeology/