Breakthrough Traineeship – Communications & Projects Assistant – Hastings
About Breakthrough
Breakthrough is a 6‑month employability programme designed as a stepping stone to get you workplace experience and all-important employment skills. This short placement gives you insight into a future career in the Creative Industry, supporting your confidence and professionalism in the workplace, and helping you to break through into a career that matters to you!
Read more about Breakthrough here:
The role
The Communications and Project Assistant will work with the Head of Communications and Events to support the delivery and promotion of the creative education programmes delivered from our two venues – The Barn Theatre and Museum and the Benbow Arts Space. The role will offer hands-on experience in communications, project coordination, and community engagement, while developing key professional skills in a creative and supportive environment. Key responsibilities will include:
- Assist in creating content for social media, newsletters, and the website (be it writing or photography/video)
- Keeping the website up to date and current via Wordpress (training given)
- Support the planning and delivery of our Schools and Colleges programme and our Clubs (National Saturday Club, Benbow Youth Film Collective)
- Support the planning and delivery of our public events (e.g. Open Days, Christmas performances, half-term and summer shows)
- Maintaining up to date databases via Excel (training given)
- Contribute to marketing campaigns and audience engagement activities
- Provide general administrative support to the team
- Preparing venues and resources for school visits, workshops and events
- Creating supplementary literature in programmes such as Canva to support our programme
- Welcoming visitors to events and workshops and assisting the team in the delivery of activity where needed
- Collecting data for Evaluation
The role will be based at our office in the Benbow Arts Space, 2 London Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, TN37 6AE. With some work at our other venue, the Barn Theatre and Museum on the outskirts of Hastings. The second venue is inaccessible via public transport; however we can help with transport if the successful candidate needs to attend the Barn Theatre.
About the employer
The Bright Foundation is an arts education charity based in Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea, founded by Academy Award winning costume designer, John Bright.
We offer a programme of life enhancing creative learning to children and young people, particularly to those experiencing disadvantage in their lives. We have two venues:
- Barn Theatre and Museum – a 50 seat children theatre and museum of antique toys and puppets all set within 24 acres of countryside
- Benbow Arts Space – a youth arts space dedicated to the art of film-making featuring an Early Cinema exhibition
Our programme includes:
- School and group visits exploring our collections and spaces through themed days such as puppet making, outdoor learning, introduction to creative careers
- As Community Partner for the Children’s International Film Festival our film team go into schools to support them to make a film to submit to the festival
- Public events and family performances
- Creative skills development courses
- Introduction to creative careers in film and employability support
We are a small staff team of 7 people and work with a wide range of freelancers and volunteers.
We also run a National Saturday Club in Film and Screen; we lead a BFI Film Academy Short Course during the October half term; and we have devised and premiered a new children’s theatre show which will return in 2027.
Deadline for applications
The deadline is 11:45pm, on 27 July 2026
You will need to download the job description below and read it carefully, and review the eligibility criteria below to ensure you are able to apply.
You then need to fill out this form to submit your application - the link for this can also be found at the bottom of this page.
All of the job descriptions include an “Employers advice” section and we strongly recommend that you tailor your answers to ensure they cover that advice given for the specific role you are applying for.
You can apply for more than one role if you wish to, but you will need to submit separate applications using the same process.
We strongly suggest that you research travel options for the role before applying to ensure travel is feasible.
To be eligible to apply for a Breakthrough traineeship, applicants must:
- Be aged 18-25 on the 28 September 2026
- Have the right to work in the UK
- Available to start work on the 28 September 2026 and available for the duration of the placement (until 28th March 2027)
- Have no or little (less than one month) previous experience of working in an arts, creative or voluntary sector organisation
In addition to the above, applicants should also meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Currently not in employment, education or training (NEET)
- Be disabled and/or Neurodivergent
- Have current or prior mental health issues
- Have experienced racism, homophobic or transgender discrimination
- Be a recent school or college leaver (A level or equivalent)
- Are struggling to find work due to lack of employment or training experience
Please note that this programme is not suitable for those on a degree placement year or an MA programme.
Download the full job description
This contains more information about the role, including advice from the employer.
Breakthrough 2026 Application Form
Contact us
If you are unsure if you are eligible, have any other questions, or need information in a different format, please email our Careers team:
FAQs
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If you have applied for a Breakthrough placement in a previous year and been unsuccessful, then yes you are very welcome to apply again if you meet this years eligibility criteria!
If you have already successfully undertaken a Breakthrough placement before, you won't be eligible to apply again.
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Please do. You will need to submit an application for each role you are interested in and should check that the travel to the workplace is realistic for you before applying.