The impact pre-employment schemes like Breakthrough can have
Our Breakthrough programme is a pre-employment training opportunity for both organisations and young people. The programme runs each year currently from September to February.
In 2024, we recruited 20 young people to take on paid work experience in arts and cultural organisation in the south of the UK.
The opportunity
When communicating this opportunity to young people, we made sure that we were actively recruiting a diverse group by communicating that this opportunity was for people aged 16 – 25 who had faced a barrier to finding meaningful employment in the arts, whatever this might be.
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40%
of young people recruited onto the 24 – 25 Breakthrough programme were neurodiverse
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25%
were from an ethnic minority
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35%
of the young people who participated on the programme have a health condition (for 20% this was anxiety)
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100%
of the young people lived or worked in Arts Council England (ACE) Priority Places
Increasing confidence and learning new skills
Breakthrough is about giving experience to young people who want to start a creative career. How often are young people met with rejection to junior roles from organisations saying they ‘lack experience’? The answer is often. That’s where this programme aims to make a difference, giving young people the skills and experience they need to breakthrough into a meaningful career.
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88%
of the young people think their employability has increased now they have completed the programme
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88%
of the young people have expanded their understanding of the creative industries
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94%
of the young people would recommend the programme to others
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100%
of the young people who completed the programme think their skills have increased in the last 6 months
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100%
of the young people who completed the programme have increased in confidence
The young trainees learn new skills specific to their roles which differ depending on what each organisation offers. Some of the skills they have gained include:
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Time management
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Public speaking
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Presentation skills
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Networking
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Graphic design
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Social media
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Organisation
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Problem solving
In their own words
We asked the young people who took part to give feedback and share why they would recommend the programme to others:
An amazing opportunity to meet other young people while having full support going into my first professional job in the creative industry
I feel it has been super helpful for me to gain insight into what careers in this industry actually look like and forge a greater network. For anyone thinking of applying, I would say go for it!
This programme has been so beneficial to me; in my career, education and skills development, and has also helped channel my creativity too, both in developing my practice through meeting creatives, and everyday at work too. I recommend it to anyone looking to get involved in a creative career, especially if you don't know where to start!
Benefits of Breakthrough to the employers
This programme isn’t just about supporting young people though, it’s also about supporting arts and cultural organisations to take on a new young member of staff at a hugely reduced cost. Bringing young minds into organisations can often add new perspectives and an injection of fun and creativity into the team. Here’s what some of our Breakthrough employers thought of the programme:
It allows you to understand the value of having young people in your organisation.
It’s been great for our organisation in terms of youth voice and bringing new energy to the team.
It’s a great way of learning how to try out and embed the principles of working and co-creating with young people.
As well as adding capacity to your team in an obvious way, Breakthough candidates can offer fresh ideas and ways of working, particularly around youth voice and participation.
Interested in becoming a Breakthrough employer?
Interested in becoming a Breakthrough Trainee?