Breakthrough Traineeship – Creative Learning Assistant, Surrey
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
As a Creative Learning Assistant, you will be an integral member of the Stopgap Dance Company’s Creative Learning Team. This hands-on role offers the opportunity to gain valuable experience in inclusive dance education by supporting youth programmes, workshops, and associated administrative tasks.
Key Responsibilities:
- Support weekly sessions with our youth dance companies
- Help with administrative tasks across the Creative Learning department including IRIS & Seedbed Online
- Assist in the organisation and delivery of our annual Winter Platform event
- Provide support for external workshops and outreach events
- Provide support with social media and marketing within the creative learning team
There will also be opportunities to attend training sessions with the wider company.
About the employer
Stopgap Dance Company is driven by a diverse creative team who uses dance as a movement for change. Our mission is to create an inclusive world where diversity is not just accepted but pursued, a world where no one is limited by prejudice against Deaf, Disabled, or neurodivergent people.
Working with an artform shaped by human touch and energised by the spark of connectivity, our work demonstrates the compelling power of diversity and inclusivity. We move together to create a remarkable experience that transforms society’s perceptions ofdifference and dismantle the inequity of privilege, in dance and in all aspects of living, collaborating, and creating together as humans.
Our work is both focused on and born out of the company’s rigorous investment in equity and inclusive culture. We try to remove barriers to dance, nurturing the talents of all dancers. We work with various organisations moving towards a better representation of diversity on our stages and in society.
We are a global leader of disability access in dance and continuously examine best practice. We actively advocate for the industry and the wider world to become more inclusive. We employ professional diverse dancers and creatives who create exhilarating dance productions for national and international touring. We support emerging artists through our traineeship, mentoring and creative programs.
All our programmes are designed to improve access to dance and to support the development of future diverse dance talent.
Deadline for applications
The deadline is 11:45pm, on 17 August
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 the form below to submit your application.
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 29th September 2025
- Have the right to work in the UK
- Available to start work on the 29th September 2025 and available for the duration of the placement (until 28th March 2026)
- 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
Download the full job description
This contains more information about the role, including advice from the employer.
Breakthrough 2025 Application Form
Please ensure you have read the job description and all other information above before applying.
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.