Marian McHugh in Broadcast has focused on the most popular request in Creative Access and McLaren Racing’s latest bursary – driving lessons. Read in full here.
The latest announcement of the second round of Creative Access and McLaren Racing’s Career Development Bursary recipients has been featured in DiversityQ. The outlet highlighted the increased demand for the bursary and wrote: “Sixty-one people working in the creative industries will receive vital funding for equipment, training, driving lessons and travel costs to support their career progression in the sector, thanks to the annual Career Development Bursary.”
60% increase in applicants reveals impact of cost-of-living crisis on career progression of those from under-represented groups
Creative Access, the leading social enterprise in progressive career development and support, and McLaren Racing have today announced that 61 people working in the creative industries will receive vital funding for equipment, training, driving lessons and travel costs to support their career progression in the sector.
The now annual Creative Access x McLaren Racing Career Development Bursary is in its second year, aimed at supporting talent from under-represented communities aspiring to work or further their career in the creative economy, but who are currently held back from doing so because of their financial status.
Increased demand
Demand for the bursary has more than doubled, year on year (2022-2023). Receiving over 500 applications in comparison to 2021, when it received just over 200. This 60% increase comes at a time when the cost-of-living crisis is increasing financial pressures for people across the country, especially those from already marginalised groups. Research has shown that workers from ethnic minority backgrounds are being disproportionately affected by the crisis, with more than a third unable to cover their essential costs each month.
Due to the crucial need for funding, Creative Access and McLaren Racing increased the amount of money available and in doing so, more than doubled the number of people able to receive the bursary in comparison to last year. The successful recipients are located across the UK and work, or aspire to work, across the breadth of the creative industries including publishing, TV and film, theatre, visual arts, music, fashion, and technology and gaming.
How the bursary will be used
Each successful applicant will receive a grant between £250 and £1000, which must be used to enable them to progress in their chosen creative career. The most common request was for funding for driving lessons. Many applicants stated that driving was essential in their industry, such as journalism, film and TV, but with learning to drive costing on average £1,350, according to the RAC, this is prohibitive to many trying to break into the industry. Many applications came from people living outside London, seeming to highlight the impact of rising travel and rent costs. The other most notable request was for equipment, specifically laptops and Macbooks.
Funding was also requested for:
- Training and courses
- Essential equipment such as cameras, microphones, lighting, and digital software
- Commuting costs
- Care costs
- Living costs
Shannon Rewcroft, who is an actor based in Yorkshire said: “This bursary is unbelievably helpful. It allows me to invest in my creative practice and enables activities that wouldn’t have been possible before. As well as the financial support, being awarded this bursary has been reenergizing, giving me confidence and focus to move ahead and make exciting plans for 2023!”
Glenda Gaspard, an architecture graduate and artist from London, explained: “This bursary is supporting me in taking the next steps to grow my creative practice. Not only has it opened the door to more resources, it’s also unlocked a new level of confidence in me. It’s an incredible feeling to know that your visions are believed in and backed by others!”
This is the second bursary from the Creative Access and McLaren Racing partnership, formed in June 2021, under the McLaren Racing Engage alliance, which aims to diversify talent in motorsport.
Bibi Hilton, CEO of Creative Access says:
“With the cost-of-living outstripping earnings, particularly for those trying to live and work in London, our Career Development Bursary has never been more critical.
Last year’s successful applicants have gone on to do amazing things with the funding they received. From this, we can see how equipment like laptops and cameras, help with travel costs, and driving lessons can make all the difference to someone looking to break in to or progress in the creative economy.
We’re proud to have been able to help more than double the number of people this year, and we can’t wait to see what they do next. There are too many talented people missing out on opportunities to develop their careers and share their knowledge and experiences and, ultimately, enrich our creative industries because of financial barriers and we’re working hard to address this imbalance.”
Kate O’Hara-Hatchley, Head of Diversity, Early Careers and Development, commented:
“McLaren Racing are thrilled to support the second Career Development Bursary alongside Creative Access. This is a significant step in our commitment to ensuring that everyone, irrespective of background and financial status, has equal access and opportunities in all creative industries, such as those at McLaren Racing. We are excited to continue to help open more doors, break down barriers and inspire the next generation.”
The Mo Siewcharran Fund has awarded its latest round of grants to four dynamic, creative organisations across publishing, theatre and music: Good Chance Theatre, Mark Rubinstein Ltd, Sound and Music and Edinburgh International Book Festival.
The Fund was set up five years ago in memory of Nielsen Books’ former director of marketing and communications, Mo Siewcharran, by her husband, John Seaton and is administered by leading diversity and inclusion social enterprise, Creative Access.
Mo Siewcharran was passionate about ensuring theatre and publishing were accessible to all and the grants fund internships for talent from Black, Asian and other ethnically diverse backgrounds to improve accessibility and representation in the creative industries.
Since the Fund started in 2018, it has supported 32 Black, Asian and ethnically-diverse trainees in publishing, theatre and music across the UK. Its impact can be clearly seen across each sector: last year Creative Access found that two-thirds (63%) of interns supported by the Fund stayed on at their host organisation at the end of their traineeship, whilst 9 out of 10 (89%) trainees continued to work in the same sector.
On this latest round of recipients, founder of the Fund, John Seaton said:
“The Mo Siewcharran Fund, now in its fifth year and having already supported over thirty interns in the creative industries, is delighted to welcome these four companies who share the same urgency in wanting to improve diversity. It is pleased, also, to extend its reach to include young people from refugee backgrounds. The quest for greater fairness continues.”
The grants contribute to the salary of an intern for a six-month traineeship, and trainees benefit from a full programme of support from Creative Access to ensure that they thrive in their new role.
London-based theatre Good Chance is an arts charity, bringing diverse people and communities together through theatre and art. Good Chance is seeking a production and communications assistant trainee from a refugee background to help the company get its international theatre and art projects out into the world through marketing, events production and social media content creation.
On being awarded the Fund, Good Chance said:
“We are absolutely thrilled to be working with Creative Access on our Stage Door programme, an opportunity for young people from refugee backgrounds to gain paid work experience in the arts industry. With the support of the Mo Siewcharran Fund, we will not only be able to reach further in our efforts to change the negative narrative around people seeking sanctuary in the UK, but we can also embed deeper the employment practices championed by Creative Access to create an industry more reflective of our beautifully diverse country. Thank you so much to Creative Access and the Mo Siewcharran fund, we can’t wait for all that’s to come!”
Mark Rubinstein Ltd, a theatrical production management company, providing general management services in London’s West End is another recipient of the grant. It will be hiring a production assistant trainee to work on the opening of Alice’s Adventures Underground, as well as the recast of TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, and overall, understand the role of a general manager.
Dave McNeilly, head of production, explained:
“This grant will enable us to offer a production assistant internship to a young person from an under-represented community and introduce them to the commercial theatre management sector. It is key that we open a door to a wider range of individuals to ensure that theatre, and the stories told on our stages, represents our society as a whole. We are excited by this opportunity to continue making positive change in diversifying and strengthening the industry.”
The national organisation for new music – Sound and Music – supports a diverse range of composers and aims to help audiences discover new music, as well as enable young people to explore their musical creativity. It will also be hiring an education and communications trainee through the Fund to help with the delivery of its programmes and learn about communications and music participation.
Its head of education, Beatrice Hubble said:
“Sound and Music are so delighted to receive a Mo Siewcharran Grant and are excited to meet our intern! We are committed to improving access and representation within the arts and look forward to learning from our engagement on this scheme to further develop our own skills as diverse recruiters across our team and the artists we support.”
The final grant has been awarded to the largest public celebration of the written word in the world, the Edinburgh International Book Festival. It will be recruiting a festival intern to support for the festival’s programming team with planning and delivering events.
On receiving the grant, the festival’s creative learning manager Catherine Jones stated:
“At the Edinburgh International Book Festival, we seek to be an open and inclusive festival that aims to showcase a diverse range of voices, from all backgrounds and ethnicities in our events. In 2023, thanks to the generous support of the Mo Siewcharran Fund, we are excited to welcome an intern into our team. We are looking forward to sharing with them our knowledge of events in the literary sector and look forward to supporting them in their career.”
The Fund is once again open for other theatre, publishing or music organisations wishing to support internships for those from under-represented communities.
Those interested in applying should contact recruit@creativeaccess.org.uk. The deadline for the next round of applications is 30th June 2023.
Edinburgh Book Festival is one of four organisations to have been awarded a grant from the Mo Siewcharran Fund in its latest round, Lauren Brown writes in The Bookseller.
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…
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.
Anna Bonet writing in i News has listed Creative Access as one of the ’50 reasons to be optimistic about 2023′ amongst organisations such as Arts Council and Greenpeace UK, as well as the upcoming Eurovision and the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Bonet states:
Creative Access will champion more under-represented talent
Under-represented and disabled talent will get greater access to careers and training support from employers this year, thanks to the work of Creative Access. In particular, they have received huge interest from organisations seeking to upskill to support disabled talent, an
Read the full article here.
Lauren Brown in The Bookseller has reported on Creative Access’ new appointments to its programmes team including Yasmin Hemmings as acting head of programmes and Bhavini Goyate and Jolie Hockings as programme managers to “enhance ongoing support and training for its interns and alumni from groups under-represented in the creative economy.”
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.