“Direct interaction with industry has led to so many mentorship opportunities for our young people. Students have received guidance, advice and support as they have explored creative career paths."
Discover! Creative Careers and Arts Award followed The Derby High School’s outstanding programme which the Expressive Arts Team put together for Discover! Creative Careers Week. Students had the opportunity to meet and interview creative professionals such as Simon Maloney; Executive Producer of Peaky Binders, Time, The Railway Man and Curfew and Oscar & BAFTA award winning visual effects supervisor; Andrew Whithurst.
Overview
An impressive twenty-one events were held in total throughout the week including:
- Adam Greenwood - Crew and stage management; The Lion King Musical.
- Rachel Grogan - Unit Manager, Football, BBC Sport Talk.
- Josh Smart (TDHS Alumni) - professional dancer.
- Lydia Flavel - Social Media Journalist working for the BBC.
- Mark Paterson - Professional Actor and Voiceover artist.
- Simon Maloney -Executive Producer: Peaky Blinder, Time, The Railway Man & Curfew.
- Niamh Brockbank (TSHS Alumna) - Actress; Rose Bruford.
- Warrant Officer Class 2 Sergeant Major Michael Holt - Professional Military Musician.
- Michael Thornton (TDHS Alumni) - Professional performer live link to cruise ship docked in Greece.
- Alan Williams - Musical Director, Arranger and Orchestrator, MD for West End Musicals.
- Joe Holt - CEO of Holty’s 121s social media and Content Creator & Football Coach.
- Dave Wilkinson - Professional Musician & Sound Engineer.
- Hannah Lawrence - Reed player from Sunset Boulevard Musical.
- Michael Lin - Dance Captain of Sunset Boulevard.
- Andrew Whitehurst - OSCAR & BAFTA award winning Visual Effect Supervisor
- Carl Au - ensemble member from Sunset Boulevard Musical.
- Annie Warburton - CEO & Creative Director of Cockpit Arts. The Role of the Independent Producer in Partnership with Into Film and PACT.
- James Pattinson - Founder of Restart Me; A ground-breaking project designed by and for young people on their career journey.
- Trip ‘behind the scenes’ tour of Coronation Street for Year 10 Drama students.
- A successful day working at global advertiser “Ear to The Ground” for our Year 10 Media students.
Number of young people reached
Lunch time activities were available to all students regardless of their age. Over the course of the week, over 600 students were engaged in one or more activity. Many key stage 4 Arts students participated in daily engagements with professionals. A number of students attended multiple daily activities. “There are so many different people to meet I don’t know how to choose!” Alex (Year 10 Dance, Drama and Music student).
Advice for similar companies/organisations
Start by identifying a diverse range of creative industries and professionals to participate, ensure a broad representation of creative career paths. Collaborate with local businesses, alumni, and cultural partners and friends to provide engaging presentations, workshops, and Q&A sessions. Incorporate interactive elements like mock interviews, resume building workshops, and real-world creative briefs to actively involve students. Schedule events to cater to different age groups and interests, and promote the week through your school communication channels to maximise student participation. Finally, gather feedback from students and participants to improve future events
Can you tell us why you believe it’s important for industry to get directly involved in inspiring and informing young people about careers in the creative industries through projects like Discover?
Primarily, many young people, especially those from underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds, may not see creative careers as accessible. Direct involvement from industry professionals can demystify these careers and show that they are achievable.
Industry involvement gives young people a realistic understanding of the various career paths available in the creative industries. They can see first-hand what different roles entail which allows them to understand how to equip themselves with the necessary skills to succeed. Industry professionals can introduce students to emerging trends and technologies, helping them stay ahead of the curve and making them more competitive as future job seekers. Furthermore, young people gain insight into the day-to-day realities of creative careers, which can often be very different from what they imagine.
Direct interaction with industry has led to so many mentorship opportunities for our young people. Students have received guidance, advice and support as they have explored creative career paths. On more than one occasion, students have secured apprenticeship offers and work placements as a result.
One of the trips out included a ‘behind the scenes’ tour of Coronation Street for Year 10 Drama students, by ‘Bury Girl’ - AJ Dean who commented “As a Bury girl who was told she’d never be able to work in Telly! 36 years on to host some of the best students I’ve met in a while was great…”