What a year 2022 was! From celebrating our 10 year anniversary to launching our first career development bursary and steering group, there were lots of reasons to celebrate.
We’re so proud to have recruited new candidates, matched more mentoring partnerships, worked with existing and new employer partners, and continued supporting our ever-growing community in our mission to create a more inclusive and diverse creative economy. But, we know that there’s still so much more to do in 2023.
Here’s some of our highlights from the past year…
- Placed 285 people from under-represented backgrounds in the creative industries in permanent roles or internships
- Trained 4,625 employers in 185 workshops
- 300+ mentoring placements
- 980 people from marginalised groups supported with employability skills
- 2,500 young people and students aspiring to work in the creative industries reached at university and college fairs and community and youth organisation events
- 850 people inspired at 12 masterclasses ranging from how to get into journalism at the Financial Times to working in the TV industry at ITV Leeds (featuring a special tour of the Emmerdale set!)
Creative Access undertook more research into how under-represented communities in the creative industries fare in the workplace this year. See our findings…
- Thrive report
- Covid-19 impact research with University of Manchester)
- Young carers in the workplace
- “Generation post-pandemic”
- Creative Access disability report 2022
This year also marked our 10th anniversary. Together with our friends at CPL Productions and with director Andrea Speziale-Bagliacca, we made a film highlighting our alumni’s stories and career progression. We hosted three events across the year with our community of interns, alumni and employer partners to thank them for being a part of our journey so far.
For our birthday, our longstanding employer partners across journalism, TV, publishing, music, theatre, art and marketing kindly shared with us the impact that Creative Access has had on their organisations over the past 10 years…
Tom Weldon, CEO at Penguin Random House UK:
“Penguin Random House’s partnership with Creative Access spans 10 fantastic years, with Random House the first ever publisher to join forces with them in 2012. Over this time, we’ve seen their work and influence evolve, as they spark and sustain meaningful change across both the publishing industry and wider creative economy too.
Creative Access’s work to support talented people from groups under-represented in our industry aligns perfectly with our mission to make books for everyone, because a book can change anyone. Achieving that mission starts from within, and they’ve helped us identify the next generation of creative talent to build a more representative organisation, with more than 40 Creative Access alumni now working at our company.
My personal highlight has been taking part in our mentoring scheme partnership, where 150 senior leaders from Penguin mentored more than 250 rising stars from under-represented communities. As we look forward to the next 10 years, we are excited about the change we can bring about together to ensure we continue to live up to that mission and build a more representative company we can be proud of.”
Julian Bellamy, MD at ITV Studios:
“As one of the longest standing partners of Creative Access, we’ve seen first-hand the impact of Josie and her team’s dedication to creating opportunities for candidates from communities that are under-represented in television. Be that through supporting us to bring hundreds of new trainees into the group, many of whom are still with us as they progress their careers and take on more senior roles or through the ITV mentoring programme.
We’re proud to have given Creative Access a home within the ITV Studios’ offices – there is no doubt that they have been such a positive force within our industry in ensuring true diversity and inclusion for all.”
Alison Phillips, editor at The Mirror:
“The Mirror has loved working with Creative Access. They have brought us some of the brightest and best young people into our newsroom that we have had in many, many years. What we particularly like is the support Creative Access continues to give those who are placed with us so we are able to work together to ensure the young person is given every chance to succeed and grow their skills.”
Jay Jopling, founder of White Cube:
“Creative Access have a proven reputation for their work in the industry and White Cube’s partnership with Creative Access has been one of the most significant developments in the gallery’s history. It has been so rewarding and insightful working alongside Josie and her exceptional team to develop our staff through training, mentoring and recruitment and I look forward to seeing how Creative Access’s impact will shape the identity of White Cube in the years to come”
Rufus Norris, artistic director & joint CEO at National Theatre:
“Creative Access is a bold and dynamic cornerstone of the creative industries. For the past ten years they have been successfully providing a nurturing pathway for talent from under-represented groups into meaningful careers across the creative industries.
It has been an absolute pleasure to welcome 25 Creative Access trainees to the National Theatre and I look forward to welcoming more trainees in the next ten years and watching them and Creative Access continue to not just thrive but imbed their forward-looking footprints for others to follow.”
Are you an employer looking to create a more inclusive workplace? Find out more about our training and recruitment services.
Candidate searching for your dream role in the creative industires? See our opportunities board and how we can support you.