Investment in young talent is vital for the survival of the cultural heritage sector. Yet with budgets facing erosion, swathes of the sector are struggling to recruit and train new members of the workforce. As a result, many organisations are turning to unpaid staff to plug the gap.
In fact, 51% of people in the sector expect the number of unpaid staff to rise over the next five years, according to our recent Historic Environment and Cultural Heritage Skills Survey. A further 38% expect it to stay the same.
There are many reasons why this should concern us. Unpaid work is a significant barrier to entry for many people, militating against widening participation. It also puts the cultural economy at risk, which is especially bad at a time of such high youth unemployment and underemployment.
Without diverse young talent breaking through, we are holding back the cultural industry from fulfilling its potential to be among the world’s best.
The good news is that there is financial help available. Museums, galleries, libraries and other cultural employers within Arts Council England’s footprint are eligible to bid for funds from our Creative Employment Programme (CEP).
The CEP is a £15m lottery-fuanded programme tasked with creating 6,500 new apprenticeships, paid internships and traineeships for young unemployed people between March 2013 and March 2015.
Just past the halfway point of the programme, 140 opportunities have been created in cultural heritage (museums, libraries and galleries), which represents only 9% of organisations within the footprint. So nine out of 10 cultural heritage organisations in England have yet to engage with the CEP to increase opportunities for young people within their workforce, and widen diversity and talent.
Last month, London’s mayor publicly backed the programme, saying: “The Creative Employment Programme is not only boosting the industry, it is contributing to my target to create 250,000 new apprenticeships in the capital and get young people into work.”
Eligible organisations wishing to take on apprentices through the CEP in London can also apply for matched funding through the National Apprenticeship Service and the City Bridge Trust. By accessing this funding alongside the CEP, employers can address skills gaps in the sector, encourage innovation and collaboration, and cut youth employment in a cost-effective way.
Sustainable employment for the next generation of talent is crucial. At our conference in March, 62% of delegates said it should be the sector’s main focus.
It is time to allow a new generation to gain fair access to careers in cultural heritage.
Pauline Tambling is the joint chief executive and managing director of Creative and Cultural Skills
In fact, 51% of people in the sector expect the number of unpaid staff to rise over the next five years, according to our recent Historic Environment and Cultural Heritage Skills Survey. A further 38% expect it to stay the same.
There are many reasons why this should concern us. Unpaid work is a significant barrier to entry for many people, militating against widening participation. It also puts the cultural economy at risk, which is especially bad at a time of such high youth unemployment and underemployment.
Without diverse young talent breaking through, we are holding back the cultural industry from fulfilling its potential to be among the world’s best.
The good news is that there is financial help available. Museums, galleries, libraries and other cultural employers within Arts Council England’s footprint are eligible to bid for funds from our Creative Employment Programme (CEP).
The CEP is a £15m lottery-fuanded programme tasked with creating 6,500 new apprenticeships, paid internships and traineeships for young unemployed people between March 2013 and March 2015.
Just past the halfway point of the programme, 140 opportunities have been created in cultural heritage (museums, libraries and galleries), which represents only 9% of organisations within the footprint. So nine out of 10 cultural heritage organisations in England have yet to engage with the CEP to increase opportunities for young people within their workforce, and widen diversity and talent.
Last month, London’s mayor publicly backed the programme, saying: “The Creative Employment Programme is not only boosting the industry, it is contributing to my target to create 250,000 new apprenticeships in the capital and get young people into work.”
Eligible organisations wishing to take on apprentices through the CEP in London can also apply for matched funding through the National Apprenticeship Service and the City Bridge Trust. By accessing this funding alongside the CEP, employers can address skills gaps in the sector, encourage innovation and collaboration, and cut youth employment in a cost-effective way.
Sustainable employment for the next generation of talent is crucial. At our conference in March, 62% of delegates said it should be the sector’s main focus.
It is time to allow a new generation to gain fair access to careers in cultural heritage.
Pauline Tambling is the joint chief executive and managing director of Creative and Cultural Skills
