In Caernarfon yesterday, Creative & Cultural Skills highlighted the actions from the Creative Blueprint which will develop skills in the workforce particularly amongst theatre and live music technicians. Research from the Creative Blueprint has shown that 87% of creative industries in Wales have no training budget yet 23% have skills gaps.
One measure to address this issue is the new Creative Apprenticeship, the first for the industry in Wales. The Creative Apprenticeship will open doors into the sector and help turn more Welsh talent into productive skills and jobs. 12 initial places will be offered to young people eager to enter the creative and cultural industries.
Guest speaker at the event, Judith Isherwood, chief executive of Wales Millennium Centre and UK Trustee of Creative & Cultural Skills said, "When I think that the population base is relatively small in Wales in comparison to the rest of the UK, the breadth of activity that's happening across Wales is remarkable. Part of my motivation for getting involved with Creative & Cultural Skills is that there is a need to keep developing skills and keep developing the talent. These are the workers that actually bring this industry alive."
Jan Michaelis, technical director at the Welsh Nation Opera said, "I think this Apprenticeship is really important because we are seeing a shortage of backstage skills in the people who come to us from college. Apprenticeships make a huge amount of sense for the industry and we will start to see people coming through with the right skills for the jobs. We want apprentices to train in very basic skills; basic stagecraft, basic electrical skills and the ability to understand how things come together on stage. It's very difficult for people to start in the industry, the Apprenticeship will give them the start they need."
Deputy Minister for Skills John Griffiths speaking at the event said: "Ensuring that those involved in these highly creative industries have the right skills to do their job will help businesses to develop as well as contribute to the wider success of the creative industries and the economy as a whole."
(Jim Evans)
