Generation Hull has launched a new apprenticeship initiative as part of its Fight For Our Creative Futures programme, which is designed to help shape the city’s future creative workforce.
Fight For Our Creative Futures is a landmark programme that will provide young people across Hull with meaningful opportunities to gain the skills, experience, and confidence they need to thrive in today’s creative industries.
Backed by Arts Council England, Hull City Council and local businesses through the Esteem partnership, the programme has just welcomed its first four apprentices that are working with creative organisations across the city.
At a recent launch event, which brought together employers, education and training providers, partners and policymakers, the apprentices talked about how much the opportunity means to them and their future aspirations.
Trish Dalby, Chair of Generation Hull, said:
“This project is about celebrating our young people and showcasing what’s possible when different organisations from across our city come together to support the creative sector and recognise the vital role it plays in young people’s development – creativity is key in any industry, not just the arts.
“I’d like to thank all of our partners who’ve made this landmark project possible, and I can’t wait to see what our apprentices go on to achieve.”
The first four apprentices on the programme have been funded through support from local businesses through the Esteem partnership; the team behind many of the city’s educational and cultural infrastructure projects over the last 15 years.
Gavin Barley, General Manager at Esteem, said:
“Since Esteem began in March 2010 with the Building Schools for the Future programme, we’ve been passionate about putting something back into our local communities and engaging with organisations that create opportunities for the city’s young people.
“Generation Hull are playing a vital role in shaping the city’s future creative workforce and we’re excited to be able to support their latest apprenticeship initiative, with help from our construction partners Sewell Group, Geo Houlton, Hobson & Porter, Spencer Group and Robertsons.”
The young people are completing apprenticeships through Hull College and are placed with creative organisations across the city, including: Freedom Festival Arts Trust, Back to Ours, Artlink and Middle Child Theatre.
Background to Generation Hull
Generation Hull is the city’s Local Cultural Education Partnership (LCEP), which has received funding from Arts Council England under the National Lottery Place Partnership Project Fund. The three-year Fight for Our Creative Futures programme, provides opportunities for children in Hull to have a career pathway into creative industries without having to leave the city.
Young people have been involved every step of the way, from coming up with the name, to shaping the direction of the programme, as well as setting up the website and social media platforms.
The project, hosted by Thrive Co-operative Learning Trust, aims to ensure that art and culture form an important part of school life by:
- Supporting schools and youth organisations to develop their own Arts Councils to explore all forms of art and culture
- Creating safe spaces to develop skills, explore issues and showcase work with their local communities and families
- Developing work placements and apprenticeships in the creative cultural organisations in our city
- Enabling emerging and established artists in the city to forge links with school and youth settings
- Developing a children and young people focused art and cultural strategy for the city
In addition to the £443k grant from the National Lottery, public and private sector partners in the city have pledged a further £337k of funding, including £150k from Esteem, showing their commitment to developing the creative careers of our young people. In addition, schools, creative organisations and the LCEP has committed an in-kind contribution of £180k bringing the total investment in our young people to £960k over the three years.