This week, DCMS Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, met with young people at Shakespeare North Playhouse as part of Discover! Creative Careers Week 2023.
Discover! Creative Careers Week is a call to arms to employers and individuals across the sector to provide young people aged 11-18 with direct encounters with industry through in-person and online events at workplaces.
As part of the week on Thursday 16th November, Shakespeare North Playhouse hosted over 60 young people from local schools who took part in workshops with hip-hop artists, went on a backstage tour and met employees to find out about their jobs and other careers in the creative industries.
Arts Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay joined students during the event to see the impact of the publicly funded programme on young people.
Evonne Bixter, Head of Engagement at Shakespeare North Playhouse said:
“Shakespeare North Playhouse is excited to be celebrating Discover Creative Careers week by inviting young people to hear more about our unique new cultural venue and the many different roles involved in running a space like ours. From our Tech team to our Producers, Media and Communications and Front of House, the opportunities are vast, and this is just a snapshot of this amazing sector. We want to help to nurture the talented young people who will become the Creative Industries workforce in the future, and events like these are the perfect platform to raise awareness of the wealth of opportunities open to our young people.”
Mary Rose, Discover Creative Careers Programme Lead said:
“We believe there’s a career for everyone in the creative industries and it’s our mission to ensure young people from all backgrounds understand the jobs and pathways that exist. Direct encounters with industry are vital and we’re incredibly excited to see so many employers taking part in this year’s Discover! Creative Careers Week. We hope it encourages others to get involved in the programme and demonstrate their commitment to securing a skilled and inclusive future workforce”
The national programme is part of Government’s pledge to build a highly-skilled, productive and inclusive workforce for the future, with its ambition to maximise growth of the creative industries by £50 billion and support a million more jobs across the UK by 2030, as outlined in the Creative Industries Sector Vision launched earlier this year.
Alongside the opportunities taking place during Discover! Creative Careers Week, the DiscoverCreative.Careers website offers a suite of industry-led lesson plans and resources to support careers provision and encourages young people to access the careers finder, home to over 500 job profiles provided by industry. Schools and colleges can also sign-up to upcoming industry events taking place in 2024 as part of the year-round programme.
Registration for Discover! Creative Careers Week 2023 is now closed, but schools, colleges and industry are encouraged to sign up to the mailing list for the latest programme opportunities and updates. Registration for Discover! Creative Careers Week 2024 will open soon.