More than 30 creative apprenticeships and internships will be created for young people across Lancashire – including two in Lancaster – thanks to a successful bid for £90,000 of National Lottery funding from Arts Council England.
The news comes during National Apprenticeships Week, co-ordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service, designed to celebrate Apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy.
Lancaster’s Dukes Theatre will gain a Creative Learning Apprentice under the scheme, and King Street-based Ludus Dance an Administration Assistant
Lancashire County Council‘s creative business development initiative, Creative Lancashire, joined forces with Curious Minds and other leading cultural organisations across the county to secure the funding from the Creative Employment Programme.
Young people aged between 16 and 24 will benefit from more than 30 opportunities at 18 different organisations across the whole of Lancashire, including Blackburn and Blackpool, targeted on areas of high youth unemployment.
“The consortium of cultural leaders came together to make the programme work for Lancashire’s young people,” Ruth Raban from Creative Lancashire said of the success. “It’s great to see arts organisations, local authorities and the LCC employment services all working together to create new jobs for Lancashire”.
“The creative industries are thriving in Lancashire and it is vital that we all work together to help create opportunities in this sector for our young people,” argues County Councillor Jennifer Mein, Leader of Lancashire County Council. “This programme shows just what can be achieved when arts organisations and local authorities work together in this innovative way.”
The Creative Employment Programme, funded by Arts Council England and managed by the Cultural and Creative Sector Skills Council, aims to generate skilled employees by recruiting and training apprentices and interns for the creative and cultural organisations. More than 1200 jobs have already been created across the UK.
The apprentices will receive training, vital workplace experience and a nationally recognised vocational qualification based on their progress.
The apprentices and interns will be given training in essential skills for working in agency or marke! ting departments, such as an appropriate manner on office telephones and different types of computer programmes and software training.
The Creative Employment Programme will pay towards the young people’s apprenticeships and internships, so the employers will benefit from hiring an administration apprenticeship for as little as £3,503 per year.
The organisations involved range from a company with just two employees up to Lancashire County Council with a workforce of 35,000 people.
The Creative Employment Programme funded by Arts Council England and managed by the Cultural and Creative Sector Skills Council aims to generate skilled employees within the creative sector by recruiting and training Apprentices and Interns for the creative and cultural organisations.