New support for young people to gain vocational qualifications and to work in the arts and creative industries
80 paid graduate internships and up to 23 Modern Apprenticeships to take place thanks to new Youth Employment Programme
Young entrepreneurs also supported
NEW opportunities for young people in Scotland to gain professional paid experience and vocational qualifications in the arts, cultural and creative industries are being supported by Creative Scotland through a new Youth Employment Programme.
In partnership with The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and the Scottish Government, 80 three month-long paid internships for graduates aged 24 and under have been created as part of the Programme.
Graduates from creative industries and cultural courses who are based in Scotland will carry out the internships with organisations in these sectors. In turn, companies will be offered almost £3,000 towards the cost of each creative intern.
For more information please visit: www.scvo.org.uk/creativeinterns
As part of the Youth Employment Programme, up to 23, year-long, paid Modern Apprenticeships with arts organisations aimed at young people aged 16 to 20 will also be created in a separate partnership with Young Scot, Creative & Cultural Skills Scotland and Creative Skillset.
Young people taking part in the Modern Apprenticeships will study for vocational qualifications while gaining professional experience working for an arts organisation.
Creative Scotland will offer employers up to £8,000 towards the salary of each apprentice, enabling organisations to provide positions.
For more information visit www.youngscot.net
A new partnership with The Prince’s Trust Scotland also taking place as part of Creative Scotland’s Youth Employment Programme will offer much needed support to young entrepreneurs in Scotland who are keen to start businesses within the creative industries.
Supported by funding from Creative Scotland, The Prince’s Trust Youth Business Scotland programme will over the next three years provide up to 50 young people with the help they need to get their businesses off the ground – including access to finance, training and professional business mentoring support.
Every year, Youth Business Scotland discusses business ideas with over 3,000 young people and, in recent years, an average of 600 young businesses per annum have been supported.
For more information, visit www.psybt.org.uk
Caroline Parkinson, director of creative development at Creative Scotland said: “These programmes mark a significant step forwards for the ways in which young people in Scotland will be supported to begin a career in the arts and creative industries.
“I look forward to organisations across Scotland taking up this opportunity to assist young people at different stages in their lives to get into and get on in the creative industries.”
Minister for Youth Employment, Angela Constance, said:
“The Scottish Government is committed to improving the employment prospects of all of Scotland’s young people. Last year saw the introduction of Opportunities for All, a unique guarantee of an offer of a place in education or training for all 16 to 19 year-olds, not already in education or training, and a new £15 million Employer Recruitment Incentive will launch shortly.
“However, it is important that the public sector sets an example to others, as we call upon employers to make young people their business.
“I am very pleased to see Creative Scotland is responding with this new programme to provide paid graduate internships and modern apprenticeships for young Scots and I would urge those with creative aspirations to embrace this fantastic opportunity.”
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, said:
“This project will give more than a hundred and fifty young people a valuable opportunity to develop their skills and experience and to make a worthwhile contribution to Scotland’s rich creative culture.
“This is entirely in line with the Scottish Government’s commitment to increasing learning through the arts and culture, and unlocking the potential of our young people to help them be innovative, resourceful, confident, responsible and able to succeed in the global economy.
“I look forward to celebrating the achievements of participants on this inaugural scheme in years to come.”
Louise Macdonald, chief executive, Young Scot, said:
“At Young Scot, we know that Scotland’s young people have a range of digital creative skills, which would add value to the success of any organisation. Y
“oung Scot is fully committed to supporting young people into employment and are delighted to be working with Creative Scotland to give young, emerging, creative talent, the opportunity to gain new skills and relevant experience, to help them progress successfully in a working environment.”
Martin Sime, chief executive, SCVO, said:
“This really is a win-win for young people wishing to work in a creative role and for the charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises that make up Scotland’s third sector. For young people facing a remarkably tough job market, the initiative will provide practical on the job training and that all-important first break in a very competitive industry.
“For the third sector, it will mean a welcome injection of fresh talent and creative minds at a time when many organisations face record high demand for services.
“Other SCVO internship programmes have been very successful for all involved and we look forward to seeing more impressive results from the Creative Industries Graduate Internship initiative.”
Norah Campbell, Scotland manager of Creative & Cultural Skills Scotland, said:
‘We are delighted to work with Creative Scotland to enable employers to take on Creative Apprentices. Young people, employers and the sector all gain from for the experience.
“We want the creative and cultural sector to grow in Scotland and we believe skills and talent are key drivers of productivity. By making the most of people through training opportunities such as Creative Apprenticeships, creative businesses can do more.’
Alasdair Smith, Scotland director of Creative Skillset, said: “I’m delighted to see these valuable opportunities for young people to gain their Creative Skillset Modern Apprenticeship in Creative and Digital Media. This support will help ambitious young people get that all important first role in a highly competitive jobs market.”
Notes to editors:
Creative Scotland is the national development agency for the arts, screen and creative industries. www.creativescotland.com
The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations is the national body representing the interests of charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. The Scottish third sector turns over £4.4 billion a year and employs 137,000 people in over 45,000 organisations. For more on SCVO see www.scvo.org.uk
Young Scot is the national youth information and citizenship agency for Scotland. There are over 461,000 Young Scot NEC Cardholders across Scotland. Young Scot provides all young people in Scotland aged 11-26 with information, ideas and opportunities to enable them to make informed decisions and choices, turn their ideas into action and take advantage of opportunities available throughout Scotland and Europe.
Young Scot’s Modern Apprenticeship programme supports young people who face barriers to employment, to help them with the skills and confidence for future learning, life and work.
Creative & Cultural Skills supports the skills and training needs of the UK’s creative and cultural industries.We deliver through our Skills Academy, a growing network of employers and training providers who are committed to the provision of high quality, industry-relevant creative education and training, apprenticeships and careers advice. We are licenced as a Sector Skills Council by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. For further information, please visit www.ccskills.org.uk.
Youth charity The Prince’s Trust helps disadvantaged young people to get their lives on track. It supports 13 to 25 year-olds who are unemployed and those struggling at school and at risk of exclusion. Many of the young people helped by The Prince’s Trust are in or leaving care, facing issues such as homelessness or mental health problems, or they have been in trouble with the law. The Trust’s programmes give vulnerable young people the practical and financial support needed to stabilise their lives, helping develop self-esteem and skills for work. Three in four young people supported by The Prince’s Trust move into work, education, training or self-employment. The Prince of Wales’s charity has helped more than 700,000 young people since 1976 and supports 100 more each day. Further information about The Prince’s Trust is available at princes-trust.org.uk or on 0800 842 842.
Creative Skillset is the licensed Sector Skills Council for Entertainment Media, Fashion and Textiles, Publishing and Advertising, Marketing & Communications. It is owned and invested in by employers working in social partnership with unions. They aspire to have the best skills and talent in the world to drive growth of the industries and the UK economy. Creative Skillset brings all parts of the Creative Industries together to add value through collaboration on workforce development. www.creativeskillset.org
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Email: sophie.bambrough@creativescotland.com
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