Creative Access, a leading diversity, equity and inclusion social enterprise, is today announcing the promotion of Yasmin Hemmings, to acting head of programmes and the appointment of Bhavini Goyate and Jolie Hockings as programmes managers to enhance ongoing support and training for its interns and alumni from groups under-represented in the creative economy.
Hemmings is a Creative Access alumna herself and originally joined in March 2021 to lead its gateway for the Government’s Kickstart scheme, successfully securing funding to create 400 creative jobs for 16-24 year-olds on Universal Credit. She has a proven track record of crafting successful career programmes for entry level to senior professionals at arts organisations, including English National Opera, Philharmonia Orchestra and the Barbican Centre. As acting head of programmes, Hemmings joins the senior management team and will own and amplify vital support & training programmes, outreach events and mentor matching for early career candidates, through to alumni as part of Creative Access’ broader mission to make the creative industries more representative of our society.
Overall, 92% of Creative Access alumni continue working in the creative industries after completing a Creative Access programme, proving how the confidence and skills gained in the schemes directly result in industry retention.
Bhavini Goyate, another Creative Access alumna, joins as programmes manager, alumni. Goyate brings seven years arts administration experience from prestigious theatre organisations such as Paines Plough, tiata fahodzi and the Young Vic Theatre, and most recently, Clore Leadership Programme. With 90% of Creative Access alumni stating that the organisation has had a significant impact on their career progression, Goyate will personally drive relationship management with its alumni. She will also champion the Creative Access development programme of leadership training designed for line managers and freelancers, and mentor matching.
Jolie Hockings joins as programmes manager, interns. Hockings has spent four years engineering youth programmes for The Photographers’ Gallery, which culminated in the launch of a creative careers programme supporting emerging talent.
Bibi Hilton, CEO, Creative Access:
“These appointments are testament to the impact of our Creative Access candidate programmes with both Yasmin and Bhavini being Creative Access alumni. Yasmin has been instrumental in opening up creative industry careers through the kickstart programme and in the development of our new Steering Group initiative and I’m thrilled to now have her join our management team. I’m looking forward to working with her, Bhavini and Jolie to continue to develop and strengthen our unique, progressive support for people from under-represented groups aspiring to enter and progress in the creative economy.”
Creative Access has proudly placed over 250 people from under-represented groups in roles and internships in the creative industries this year alone. Our unique programme of monthly masterclasses, mental health training, regular safeguarding check-ins throughout placements, as well as our personalised pathways and community building, demonstrates the huge effort we put into hiring and ongoing support that builds career success, confidence and retention for under-represented talent.”
Ellie Khan has reported on Creative Access’ disability report 2022, highlighting the finding that “career-building networks are closed to 75% of disabled creatives”.
Gus Alexiou has discussed Creative Access’ latest research on disabled workers in his article for Forbes about the importance of disabled job seekers knowing their legal rights.
Alexiou mentions that the research shows that:
“Many such experiences revolve around employers failing to make appropriate workplace accommodations to allow them to operate at an optimum level and a general lack of awareness of disability issues amongst non-disabled co-workers.”
Jamie Body has reported that “Two thirds of disabled workers in the creative industries do not feel they have the confidence to progress in their careers, according to a new report into the barriers faced by those who identify as disabled”, following Creative Access’ research.
In PRWeek, Elizabeth Wiredu has stated that marcomms “lags behind” other sectors when it comes to welcoming disabled, deaf and neurodivergent employees, following on from Creative Access’ recent research.
Sian Bailey has written about Creative Access’ newester report on disabled workers career progression in the creative industries. Read The Bookseller coverage here.
Pippa Consadine has reported that the findings showed the extent to which disabled UK workers have experienced prejudice around access to jobs or progression opportunities in creative industries. The gap widens when disabled individuals also identify as being from a Black, Asian, Ethnically Diverse (BAED) or low socio-economic status (LSES).
- Only a quarter feel they have access to the contacts and networks needed to progress their creative career (vs. 62% of general respondents)
- 88% cite the two biggest barriers as: lack of employer understanding of ‘reasonable adjustments’, and awareness of disability issues among colleagues
- Many candidates choose not to disclose disability to potential or current employers
Creative Access has today published a new report on Disability equity in the UK’s creative industries, which reveals the shocking extent to which disabled UK workers have experienced prejudice around access to jobs or progression opportunities in creative industries. The gap widens when disabled individuals also identify as being from a Black, Asian, Ethnically Diverse (BAED) or low socio-economic status (LSES).
Creative Access data showed, when asked to agree or disagree with the statement ‘I feel I have the the necessary confidence to progress in my career’ 70% of respondents who identified as BAED agreed, this dropped to just 40% when respondents identified as BAED and disabled3. When asked about seeing opportunities for career progression, the answers were 71% vs. 60% respectively3.
The reality in the UK for disabled workers
In the UK currently 1 in 5 in UK workers are disabled, and the likelihood of unemployment is higher with disabled workers (81% vs. 52.7% of non-disabled workers)1. And while the employment gap had been closing, the pandemic took us back a step. Disabled workers are also more likely to be in lower-skilled occupations, self-employed, working part-time (and subsequently less hours), working in the public sector or temporarily away from work1.
What did respondents say?
We asked candidates about tactics to improve the accessibility of roles and opportunities in the creative economy to disabled people. The most important thing was that employers be responsive to employees negotiating a working pattern that met their individual needs; over three quarters of respondents cited that they’d like:
- More flexible working
- Training for line managers in supporting disabled employees to thrive
Career progression & intersectionality
The survey found 56% of respondents are affected by more than one category of disability (rising to 86% of respondents affected by mental illness and at least one other). Only a third of respondents felt they had confidence to progress their creative career, citing negative experiences at work contributing to low confidence. And only 1 in 3 stated that their organisation had an inclusive culture.
On intersectionality, BAED respondent Lily Ahree Siegel said: “It’s not about the lack of talent but lack of access. It seems no matter how qualified or excellent I am, I need to be extraordinary to receive praise and access to similar institutions to my white, able-bodied peers…Like many jobs, there’s a lot hinging on others to “take a chance” on someone. Not to mention other systemic disadvantages – disabled people are more likely to be unemployed or living in poverty. I have [also] yet to see a person like myself in a leadership position.”
A call to arms for creative industry employers
While there was no ‘one size fits all approach’ for adjustments or considerations for employers when it comes to helping disabled workers and candidates thrive. A common theme appeared among immediate considerations, including:
- Audit your staff to ensure hiring and line managers (and third party recruiters) sufficiently understand their legal duties towards disabled people as set out in the Equality Act 2010
- Undertake appropriate team training, e.g. on embracing neurodiversity, mental health or disability equity to ensure staff are more aware of what ‘reasonable adjustments’ can and should be made
- Consider making adjustments to your application procedures regarding forms, interviews and communication around the recruitment process
Josie Dobrin, Executive Chair, Creative Access:
“In the creative industries – in which disabled people are under-represented – there is a huge opportunity for employers to gain from the advantage of a more diverse workforce. And disabled candidates are clear about what will best set themselves up for success, whether that’s around flexible working, better training at all levels of the organisation or bespoke routes into mentors. It’s collectively down to us all in the creative economy to decide to listen to the data, spot room for improvement and act upon it.
“We at Creative Access also don’t shy away our part to play as a diversity, equity and inclusion organisation that connects diverse candidates with opportunities for jobs and career advancement. We have already begun implementing numerous changes to how we recruit and support our own staff, and we will also be exploring how we support disabled candidate access to networking, bespoke mentor matching and potentially ringfenced access to bursaries for career development.”
- Creative Access disability equity report 2022
- Inclusive employer action plan resource (disability)
- Upcoming open employer training: mental health, neurodiversity, disability equity
How did respondents identify?
| Neurodivergence | 417 | 54% |
| Mental Illness | 362 | 47% |
| Long-term illness or health condition | 263 | 34% |
| Physical | 161 | 20% |
| Learning disability | 143 | 19% |
| Sensory & communication | 67 | 9% |
| Other2 | 31 | 4% |
Methodology
We designed the survey in consultation with a disability consultant. This was sent to approximately 8,000 contacts on the Creative Access candidate database who had identified themselves as disabled, Deaf or neurodivergent. It was sent by email and completed via an online form during September 2022. In total we received responses from 770 candidates.
1 ONS ‘The employment of disabled people 2021’, 11 February 2022
2Responses in the category ‘other’ included responses such as Hard of hearing/Deaf, Epilepsy, PTSD, Dyslexia, Cerebral Palsy, Stammer and Multiple Sclerosis amongst others.
3Creative Access 2022 Thrive Report which surveyed employers and employees in creative industry roles
Jo Faragher has written about McLaren Racing’s drive to improve diversity in the motorsport industry. One of Creative Access’ interns at McLaren, Margo Bondar, was featured, as well as the Creative Access x McLaren Engage programme.
“When 19-year-old Margo Bondar arrived in the UK as a refugee from Ukraine, her hosts drove her past the space-age McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) in Woking. “It was the first thing I saw after I was picked up from the airport,” she says. It would also be the site of her first UK internship with McLaren Racing as part of its Engage programme – an initiative aimed at boosting diversity in motorsport.
Since April, Bondar has been working in fan engagement, meaning her day typically involves opening thousands of emails and letters from Formula 1 fans, including artwork and gifts for the McLaren team’s drivers, Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo. Her role came up as part of the Creative Access route into the Engage programme, which aims to build more inclusive practices into how the company hires into creative roles.“
John Elmes has written about Creative Access’ latest 16-strong group which aims to create a pathway for future leaders into non-executive roles. Read the article in full here.
Evie Barrett has highlighted Creative Access’ new steering group initiative for PR Week. Barrett describes how the programme aims to prepare rising PR pros for leadership roles in PR and other creative industries. Read more here.
Creative Access’ newest initiative will bring together a group of 16 individuals from the Creative Access community. Ruth Comerford in The Bookseller has reported how the programme will provide a leadership pathway for participants to becoming trustees or non-executive directors of other creative organisations, social enterprises or charities.
Read in full here.