Five young people from Rotherham are being given a ‘golden’ opportunity to develop their skills in the creative and cultural industries in South Yorkshire, thanks to Children’s Capital of Culture. The new cohort of trainees, aged 16 to 25, will complete paid placements of between nine and 12 months at organisations including Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, FLUX Rotherham, Children’s Capital of Culture, and Rotherham Music. They join seven other young people who are completing existing traineeships, some of whom have had their contract extended, as well as another four trainees who have been offered new ‘alumni’ roles across the wider Children’s Capital of Culture programme. Recruitment for a further 15 traineeships will take place over the next three months.
Sarah Christie, Programme Manager of Children’s Capital of Culture, said: “Since 2022, over 120 young people have been in paid employment across seventeen different local organisations thanks to the Children’s Capital of Culture trainee scheme. This has allowed young people interested in a creative career path gain experience at some of Rotherham’s most progressive cultural organisations. 70% went onto further employment, education or training within three months of their traineeships ending. “The trainee scheme is just one example of the amazing legacy we’re creating through Children’s Capital of Culture. It’s about giving young people lifechanging opportunities which broaden their horizons and open up creative careers. We love hearing what our trainees do next and are really proud of all of them. We’re equally grateful to the amazing organisations who support the scheme, playing their part in positively impacting the future of Rotherham’s young people.”
The newest trainees will undertake a wide variety of projects during Children’s Capital of Culture’s festival year and beyond. FLUX Rotherham has employed Quina Smith as a trainee community producer. During her one-year traineeship, Quina will work on a range of community-led arts, culture and creativity projects. Maisie Dorlin has joined the Children’s Capital of Culture team as creative learning assistant, where she will develop a primary creative careers resource and manage the creative learning newsletter, amongst other projects. Two trainees have joined Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust as creative producers. Louise Webb and Mrat Frezghi will be producing a range of videos for the Trust. They will also be designing and delivering two film festivals. William Harris has been recruited as music events trainee by Rotherham Music. He will work with the Rotherham Music team, key creative partners, and young people across the borough to come up with ideas, and to plan and deliver music-related activities.
For more information about Children’s Capital of Culture, head to http://www.childrenscapitalofculture.co.uk