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STEP Project a creative industry open to everyone

Words by Smiley Team

Without the privilege of being able to afford an unpaid internship or having a family member in the industry, a job in the arts seems like an impossibility for many young people.

But a new programme is helping dozens of people aged 18-30 to get paid experience and develop the contacts and confidence needed for a career in some of the UK’s top creative industries.

The STEP programme is run by Create Jobs who are part of A New Direction, a non-profit who aim to inspire creativity in children and young people across London.

They teamed up with organisations including the BBC Proms, the Southbank Centre, the London College of Fashion and the V&A Museum to offer paid internships to young people from East London who wanted a job in a creative industry but had no idea of where or how to go about it.

Oliver Benjamin is the director for employment and skills at Create Jobs. He explained: “For many young people, a career in the creative industries can seem out of reach - something only available to those who can afford to go to university and work unpaid internships.

“STEP offers an amazing opportunity to not only give a group of talented young individuals the experience and training they need to start their careers, but also the chance to show how much London’s young creatives have to offer, regardless of their background.”

The STEP programme proved to be a valuable resource for Lauren Joyce-Smith, 24. She is currently completing an internship at the Sadler’s Wells Theatre and Fashion Space Gallery at the London College of Fashion.

Lauren, 24, from Newham said: “Nearing the end of my degree I realised that I wanted to work in the arts but had little idea of how to start my journey into the creative industries, because it can be quite a difficult sector to find an entry point into.

“As a result, I enrolled onto STEP with Create Jobs to help me gain a greater understanding of the range of career paths within the sector and what roles might be best suited to me.”

STEP now want to encourage more arts employers to get involved with the programme and offer young people their first step on the ladder in a career in the arts.

For more information see https://createjobslondon.org/programmes/step

Or connect on social:

Twitter: @Create_Jobs

Instagram: @create_jobs

Facebook: facebook.com/createjobsldn/

Original Article by Jenna Sloan

This article aligns with the following UN SDGs

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