Another 20 young people in Rotherham are being given an opportunity to develop their skills in the creative and cultural industries in South Yorkshire, thanks to Children’s Capital of Culture.
This cohort of trainees will complete paid placements of between six and 12 months at organisations including Grimm & Co, Sheffield DocFest, Rotherham United Community Trust, Skills Street at Gulliver’s Valley, Flux Rotherham, Children’s Capital of Culture, and Rotherham Council’s Rotherham Music and Clifton Park Museum.
The new round of trainee positions follows two previous successful traineeship programmes, which ran in 2022 and 2023, and saw more than 75 young people interested in a creative career path gain experience at some of Rotherham’s most progressive cultural organisations.
The trainees will be undertaking a wide variety of roles, ranging from marketing and event management to festival organisation and creative development, all helping to plan and deliver an exciting line up of events for children, young people and wider communities to enjoy in the run up to, and including, 2025.
Ellie Coldwell is one of the new trainees and will be working as a marketing assistant at Clifton Park Museum for 12 months. She said: “This is my first role in marketing, so it’s a brilliant opportunity for me to gain experience of everything from brochure creation and website development, to social media and events. In the lead up to 2025, I’ll also be working with different organisations and teams to create events that will happen across this year, so I’ll have lots of opportunities to develop my creative skills and expand my knowledge.
“Children’s Capital of Culture is going to be fantastic for Rotherham, and these traineeships are giving young people in the borough the opportunity to see the wide range of creative career opportunities here, which many think are only available in bigger cities.”
Helen Jones, director at Flux Rotherham, which has taken on two trainees, said: “Hosting trainees expands our creative capacity as an organisation, and we benefit from their lived experience and expertise, which feeds into and shapes our long-term planning. As a staff team, we feel it is our responsibility to advocate for young people who want to break into the creative sector. Having all had our own experiences of working to build a career in the arts, we are committed to offering young people career development opportunities that are meaningful and sustainable and to providing long-term mentorship and support.”
The new training programme is being supported and has been part-funded by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, and Arts Council England.
Sarah Christie, progamme manager of Children’s Capital of Culture, concluded: “These traineeships showcase the varied range of creative career paths available in Rotherham and the surrounding area. They provide local young people with lifechanging opportunities, helping them to develop skills and build meaningful relationships with people working across the borough’s creative industries.”
Further traineeship programmes will be launched later in 2024 too, and Children’s Capital of Culture is looking for trainee host organisations. If you own or work for an organisation that would benefit from taking on a trainee, contact ccoc@rotherham.gov.uk to be put on a mailing list to receive details of future hosting opportunities.
For more information about Children’s Capital of Culture, head to www.childrenscapitalofculture.co.uk.