Matilda Battersby has reported that Creative Access has secured sponsorship from publishers, including Penguin Random House, Sage and Profile Books, to support mid-level freelancers from under-represented backgrounds via sponsored places on a year-long creative development programme. Read the article in full.

17 spaces are available on the Thrive Career Development Programme, aimed at mid-level freelancers from under-represented backgrounds, reports Lucy Nathan at BookBrunch.

• Only 8% of publishing freelancers report having mentorship access, and 1 in 2 feel unsupported by employers 

• Backed by 11 trade and academic publishers, Thrive Career Development Programme provides 17 essential training & support places for minority freelancers  

• Launch supports the Publisher Association’s Work in Publishing Week to boost career growth for diverse talent 

Diversity, equity and inclusion social enterprise Creative Access has secured sponsorship from across the publishing industry to support mid-level freelancers from under-represented backgrounds through sponsored places on its Thrive Career Development Programme. This initiative addresses a significant gap in professional support for freelancers, who provide essential services to the publishing sector yet often lack access to crucial career development resources like training, mentorship and networking opportunities. 

Freelancers are a vital part of the publishing workforce, supporting functions like proofreading, copyediting, design, illustration and sensitivity reading. However, freelancers from minority backgrounds face a significant lack of support: Creative Access’ Freelancer Report 2023 shows that only 19% have received training and just 8% have had a mentor. This is despite 61% wanting to see training from employers and 44% stating mentorship is vital. Half of publishing freelancers (50%) feel unsupported by employers, with 58% citing basic practices such as late payment as a major issue.  

Launching during Work in Publishing Week—a national campaign by the Publisher’s Association to inspire careers in publishing—Creative Access’ Thrive Career Development Programme for mid-level professionals has garnered unprecedented industry support, with sponsorship from trade and academic publishers,  

According to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), 32% of jobs in the UK’s creative and cultural industries are self-employed, compared to just 14% across the wider UK economy. Publishing freelancers, like their counterparts in film, television, and the performing arts, are essential to sustaining the UK’s vibrant creative landscape yet often face barriers to support and growth. A 2023 report by Literature Alliance Scotland showed that 93% of freelancers agree that the sector relies on freelancers, however the majority of freelancers (58%) do not feel valued by the sector. This programme aims to address these gaps and empower publishing freelancers to thrive in their careers. 

Josie Dobrin OBE, executive chair & co-founder, Creative Access: “We know how vital freelancers are to the publishing industry, yet many, especially from minority backgrounds, face barriers to career growth and support. It is so gratifying to see key players across the industry come together to collectively address the challenges faced by the freelance community; to promote retention and ensure that all individuals – whatever their background – feel valued and are given the opportunity to thrive.” 

Claire Thomas, director of organisational development & talent at Penguin Random House said: “Penguin Random House is thrilled to support Creative Access’s innovative new programme. Investing in the development of freelancers from under-represented communities will support the industry’s commitment to greater representation and retention, through the development and strengthening of new networks and skills.” 

Kiren Shoman, executive vice president, editorial & global executive lead, DEI at Sage said: “We are thrilled to support the Freelancers Publishers Training Programme as a sponsor. At Sage, we believe in the power of diverse voices. This programme aligns with our commitment to fostering creativity and inclusivity in the publishing industry. We look forward to seeing the valuable impact that will emerge from this initiative.” 

Rebecca Gray, managing director at Profile Books, said: “Creative Access is constantly driving change and coming up with ways to open up our industry, so when Josie asked us to sponsor a place on this scheme we said a very quick ‘yes please!’ Making freelancing accessible is a clever way to look at our diversity initiatives through a new lens and we are very much looking forward to meeting the people who join the programme.” 

The year-long Thrive programme will begin in March 2024 and offers 17 sponsored places for mid-level freelance talent in publishing. Participants will gain access to: 

• Targeted training in key areas such as career sustainability, leadership presence, financial literacy for freelancers, and advocacy skills. 

• Mentorship from senior professionals in the publishing industry, providing six months of personalised career support. 

• Exclusive networking events with publishing partners, offering connections to foster long-term professional relationships and more! 

This opportunity is designed for freelancers with at least six months of experience in the publishing industry, including in roles across editing, design, project coordination, and other key publishing functions. It will include both in-person and online sessions to ensure accessibility to freelancers across the UK. 

Application Information 

• Applications Open: 18 November 2024 

• Deadline: 2 January 2025, 5:00pm

• How to Apply: Freelancers can apply via the Creative Access opportunities board, where they will complete an application form and submit an up-to-date CV, indicating any prior work with the programme’s partner publishers. Link to apply: https://opportunities.creativeaccess.org.uk/job/thrive-development-programmes-freelancers-working-publishing-31401  

For more details about the Thrive Career Development Programme and the application process, visit http://opportunities.creativeaccess.org.uk/ or contact yasmin@creativeaccess.org.uk  

‘Reacting to the announcement of 2024’s Class Pay Gap Day, Yasmin Hemmings, who oversees support programmes for individuals from under-represented backgrounds at social enterprise Creative Access, explains the pay gap is even more acute for ethnically diverse talent.

According to Creative Access research, almost half (48%) of ethnically diverse professionals surveyed report socio-economic bias in hiring and promotions, double that of their white counterparts (24%). A further 40% feel overlooked in their careers due to class, versus 30% of white working class professionals.

“This stark ‘class ceiling’ strongly impacts diversity in leadership. Seeing few others who share their background, working class ethnically diverse professionals face extra hurdles to advance,” says Hemmings.

“This goes beyond fairness – it’s a call for employers to adopt truly inclusive practices that address class and race, as well as disability.”

She argues the introduction of mandatory socio-economic pay gap reporting would help “dismantle” the structural barriers holding talented professionals back.

Member of the Creative Access steering group Jaber Mohamed, director of health comms and PR at MHP Group, identifies connections and money as two of the biggest barriers to entry into the creative industries. 

“Lots of opportunities aren’t advertised, so you need to know the right people to get them. And the PR and comms industry is very concentrated to London, so you need to be able to afford to live here/support yourself to take advantage of those opportunities,” Mohamed notes.

“This is especially difficult if your family can’t support you/help you when you’re starting out.”’

You can read the full article here.

On the new report from the Sutton Trust examining class inequality in creative careers and education, Creative Access CEO Mel Rodrigues offers comment and advice for employers intent on tackling social inequality in the creative industries, reports Mary Stone:

‘Melanie Rodrigues, CEO of Creative Access, said employers and institutions need to work together to remove obstacles “in a more joined-up way”.

She agreed the findings “sadly reflect the everyday experiences of working-class talent across the UK, who face a multitude of barriers to accessing and maintaining creative careers”.

“Addressing socio-economic barriers is a complex task, but it is business critical to nurture and progress talent from all backgrounds. There is a huge risk that the creative industries will lose what makes us great if we don’t embrace the myriad of stories and experiences that make up the society we live in – and that can only be achieved via a diverse and representative workforce,” said Rodrigues.’

Read the full article here.

Creative Access is thrilled to announce that Dean Webster has joined the board of Creative Access. Dean started his Creative Access journey as a trainee for Shine Group back in 2013 and is now Head of Development at Ten66 Television.  

Dean participated in the2023 – 24 Steering Group; a training programme for future charity trustees bringing together a group of 16 individuals from the Creative Access community. This initiative is sponsored by leading media law firm, Simons Muirhead Burton who joined forces with Creative Access to guide and sponsor the programme. Their involvement includes a financial contribution, hosting the meetings at their central London office and providing in-house speakers on legal governance.  

In addition to Dean, two other members of the steering group have secured board roles including film & TV production strategist Osas Esosa, Olsberg SPI, who has joined the board of Shoreditch Town Hall and freelance writer & editor Dushi Horti (formerly HarperCollins) is joining London-based reading charity, Doorstep Library.  

Josie Dobrin, Executive Chair, Creative Access said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming Dean to our Board. We know his commitment, energy and experience will be a huge asset to us. It’s extremely exciting to now have two brilliant and skilled alumni on our board, reflecting the needs of our community as we seek to grow our impact over the coming years, and to create the urgent change required to representation at all levels of the creative industries and culture sector.   

Our community have a huge amount of skills and energy to offer to leadership teams of commercial and not-for-profit organisations.  All too often, job descriptions require applicants to have experience for non-executive roles, so we are thrilled that by having created this leadership pathway, we are removing obstacles for progression and that so many of the group have already secured non-executive roles. We are indebted to Simons Muirhead Burton for their huge and invaluable support of this programme.”  

Commenting on his appointment to the Board, Dean Webster, Head of Development, Ten66 Television said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have been accepted onto the Non-Executive Board of Creative Access, an organisation that has been so integral in my career by opening the door to the television industry and supporting me to thrive in the sector. I’m proud and excited to support Creative Access in this new chapter as they continue to create more opportunities in the creative economy for diverse people.”  

Speaking of their involvement, Peter Weiss, who jointly heads the Corporate, Commercial & Finance team at Simons Muirhead Burton and also sits on the Creative Access advisory board said: “There are many synergies between the work and values of both Creative Access and Simons Muirhead Burton. We are delighted to be able to sponsor this important initiative which will create a pipeline of candidates from communities that are under-represented at non-executive level, who will help organisations to innovate, future-proof decision-making and better reflect the organisations which will benefit from their engagement.”  

Creative Access has added Dean Webster, Head of Development at Ten66 Television, to its board, reports Televisual.

Read the full article here.

Drew Bunyan joined Weber Shandwick in 2023 via Creative Access and is now a permanent junior creative at the company. He spoke to
Jane Hamilton at The Times about how he found the role and his advice for aspiring creatives looking to break into the industry:

In The Financial Times Working It newsletter, Isabel Berwick features world views on the UK’s new legislation on employers to put preventative measures in place. Creative Access’ CEO weighs in to warns of the risk of tick-box compliance over real cultural change

This supports Creative Access’ expert-led training on preventing workplace harassment called: ‘Fostering Respect: Tackling Sexual Harassment in the Workplace’. You can find more information about all our inclusive DE&I training here.

See the full story here: Managers’ new duty to prevent sexual harassment at work

Did you know that employers need to be ready to protect employees from sexual harassment under a new statutory obligation?  

According to a study from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, 2023 a quarter all people who’ve experienced sexual harassment said it had happened in their place of work. Meanwhile, the TUC found that 3 in 5 women have experienced harassment at work. 

From October 2024 the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill will strengthen protection for workers against sexual harassment. This new law will place a new duty on employers to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment.  

If you want to understand what this means for you as an employer, Creative Access has created a training workshop covering the new legal obligations to help employers take proactive steps to avoid sexual harassment in the workplace.  

If you’re focused on inclusion, now is the time to act and not only deal with sexual harassment but to prevent sexual harassment from happening in the workplace. 

Our ‘Fostering Respect: Tackling Sexual Harassment in the Workplace’ workshop includes:  

• What is ‘sexual harassment’? Recognising the behaviours that constitute sexual harassment  

• Understanding the law surrounding sexual harassment  

• What to do if you experience or witness sexual harassment in the workplace  

• Understand how management should handle a complaint and how to support all staff involved 

• Barriers to disclosure at work and creating a safe environment for disclosure 

• Responding appropriately and managing trauma responses 

• Remove or reducing risks to stop sexual harassment before it happens 

Take steps to protect your employees today and enquire now about booking a session for your team.  

The bursary has been launched after a survey revealed that 80% of under-represented respondents in publishing have faced financial obstacles when applying for jobs, as reported by Lucy Nathan at BookBrunch.

Broadcast Now reports on Creative Access bursary in response to ‘concerning trends’. Read here.