Diploma in Document Digitisation and Metadata Management
Online postgraduate diploma of 800 hours in document digitisation and metadata management, with 8 modules covering automotive document collections, digitisation planning, capture equipment, image processing and text recognition, metadata, document management and repositories, and preservation, access and rights, with an assigned technical tutor.
Diploma in Document Digitisation and Metadata Management — studying from South Africa
Classic vehicle restoration is a niche but active interest in South Africa, supported by owners' clubs, specialist workshops and historic motorsport events. Restoration work draws on skills in mechanical engineering, materials and heritage conservation. Specialists source parts, rebuild engines and conserve bodywork for vintage and classic cars and motorcycles. Clubs and heritage organisations help maintain the community and promote conservation practice.
Fees for South Africa: R 27 900 (South African rand), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in South Africa
Typical roles
Questions from South Africa
Will a SEIUM qualification be recognised by the professional bodies in South Africa for this area?
SEIUM qualifications are private and not accredited by any South African body, so they are not official state degrees. Restoration work is not generally a regulated title, though ECSA registration applies to engineering roles and the SABS covers relevant standards. Recognition of a private qualification is decided by clients, employers or the relevant body, so check with them first.
How might this qualification be used by employers in South Africa in restoration and classic vehicles?
The classic vehicle sector is largely made up of specialist workshops, collectors and small firms that value demonstrable craftsmanship and reputation over formal credentials. A private qualification may add technical depth to your profile, but its impact depends on individual clients and employers. Speak to people in the field to see how they would regard it.
Can I study this programme alongside full-time work from South Africa, and is there a time zone or language issue?
The programme is 100% online and taught in English, so you can study from home without a student visa. Master's programmes total 1,900 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 hours and specialist courses 300 hours. You get an assigned technical tutor, can pay in instalments, and may seek employer sponsorship. Ask SEIUM about time-zone and workload details before committing.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Identify and appraise automotive document collections.
Plan document digitisation projects.
Capture documents at the appropriate quality.
Process images and apply text recognition.
Describe documents using metadata standards.
Manage digital document repositories.
Ensure preservation and access while respecting rights.
Who it's for
- Document digitisation technicians.
- Archivists.
- Records and document managers.
- Metadata specialists.
- Brand archive managers at vehicle manufacturers.
- Classic car club documentalists.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to work in manufacturers' archives.
What you'll work with
- ISO 15489-1 (records management)
- ISAD(G) of the International Council on Archives (general archival description)
- ISO 19005-1 (PDF/A) (long-term preservation document format)
- ISO 14721 (OAIS) (open archival information system)
- ISO 15836-1 (Dublin Core) (metadata element set)
- METS (Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard)
- Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) (personal data protection)
- AtoM
- Archivematica
- ABBYY FineReader
- Adobe Acrobat
8 modules
1.1Workshop and owner's manuals1.2Parts catalogues1.3Technical drawings1.4Homologation documents1.5Invoices and service records1.6Manufacturers' archives1.7Club and private archives1.8Document appraisal1.9Paper conservation1.10Practical exercise: inventory of a document collection
2.1Project objectives2.2Selection and prioritisation2.3Physical condition of the originals2.4Budget and resources2.5Workflow2.6In-house or outsourced digitisation2.7Quality requirements2.8Schedule2.9Production indicators2.10Workshop: digitisation plan for a brand archive
3.1Automatic document feeder scanners3.2Planetary scanners3.3Book scanners3.4Camera-based capture3.5Resolution and bit depth3.6Fragile or bound documents3.7Large-format documents and drawings3.8Equipment calibration3.9Quality control at capture3.10Laboratory: capturing bound documents
4.1Cropping and deskewing4.2Image correction4.3Optical character recognition4.4Handwriting recognition4.5PDF/A format4.6Correcting results4.7Full-text indexing4.8Batch processing4.9Quality control of processing4.10Practical exercise: text recognition of a parts catalogue
5.1Dublin Core5.2The ISAD(G) standard5.3EAD encoding5.4The METS schema5.5The MODS schema5.6PREMIS metadata5.7Technical image metadata5.8Controlled vocabularies5.9Quality and consistency5.10Workshop: creating a METS record
6.1Document management systems6.2AtoM software6.3Archivematica6.4Classification schemes6.5Search and retrieval6.6Access permissions6.7Approval workflows6.8Integration with other systems6.9Data migration6.10Laboratory: archival description in AtoM
7.1The OAIS model7.2Preservation formats7.3Copies and storage7.4Personal data in vehicle documentation7.5Intellectual property of manuals and drawings7.6Reuse licences7.7Online dissemination7.8Access for researchers7.9Continuity plan7.10Case study: access policy for a club archive
8.1Selection of the collection8.2Conservation assessment8.3Digitisation plan8.4Capture8.5Processing and text recognition8.6Metadata8.7Repository and access8.8Preservation plan8.9Report and presentation8.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
The programme is delivered 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so it can be combined with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is AtoM, Archivematica, ABBYY FineReader and Adobe Acrobat, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures: digitisation of manuals and parts catalogues, archival description of a collection and validation of PDF/A files. Assessment is continuous by module plus the final integrating project.
Standards covered: ISO 15489-1, ISAD(G) of the International Council on Archives, ISO 19005-1 (PDF/A), ISO 14721 (OAIS), ISO 15836-1 (Dublin Core), METS (Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard), Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR).
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. No university degree is required.
- An internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 800 hours over 6–8 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with AtoM, Archivematica, ABBYY FineReader and Adobe Acrobat, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector (no university degree required), a computer able to run the programme software and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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