Breakthrough Traineeship – Projects Assistant, Canterbury & Herne Bay
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
To assist in the development and delivery of People United’s creative programme by providing administrative and practical support to the Programme Manager and creative team and, from time to time, performing other general administrative tasks in the broader organisation.
To support the Communications Lead in delivery of creative programme comms.
To support aspects of the creative programme’s evaluation, particularly data collection.
This role will include:
- Assisting the creative team in collating project evaluation
- On site’ project support when needed for the creative programme e.g. helping with installations and invigilation
- Assisting with evaluation activities by supporting audience research activity, including regularly and accurately collating, inputting and analysing data
- Supporting and contributing to the planning and delivery of comms activities and campaigns as part of the creative team
- Admin support to the Communications Lead, for example helping to collect/collate feedback and quotes for use in People United’s comms activities
- Day to day small-scale sales i.e. financial processing related to creative content/activities
- Desk research – this could be creative or operational.
- Monitoring the company info@ mailbox, forwarding on to relevant team members
- From time to time, to provide cover for some aspects of other team members day to day duties (e.g. during annual leave)
- Advocating for People United, working as part of the whole team in developing, maintaining and promoting the charity’s brand, values and work
- Following/complying with People United’s policies
- Awareness and observation of Health and Safety regulations
- Other duties as may reasonably be required
The role will based at People United offices, currently split between Canterbury and Herne Bay, as required. We are open to some home working, if appropriate.
Who we are:
People United Creativity powered by care
We are a creative arts charity based in East Kent. We work with communities on our local coast and beyond, using co-design practices that prioritise care.
Vision: Our coast is home to thriving, creative communities who care for themselves, each other and the world around them.
Mission: We invite people to come together, be heard and make things.
Our positions:
- CARE – We place care at the heart of everything we do, working in ways that are human-centred and trauma-informed – the foundation of our co-design
methodology. We see self-care as an act of resistance, protecting our collective capacity to do meaningful work. - COMMUNITY – We work in partnership with communities, social care and community organisations and socially engaged artists. We believe that interdependence, solidarity and collaboration are the foundations of lasting change.
- CREATIVITY – We recognise the abundance of imagination and creativity within our communities. We make art with, not for people, where they are at – from living rooms to public spaces. We hold that everyone is an artist, and our practice is built on that belief.
- SUSTAINABILITY - We consider the long-term impact of everything we do, advocating for approaches that are sustainable and, where possible, restorative to our environments and communities.
- LEARNING - We are a learning organisation that prioritises reflection, knowledge-sharing, and the willingness to fail better. We value transparency and vulnerability as tools for growth, within our team and across our work.
- JUSTICE – We believe that creativity and care must go hand in hand with challenging the deeper causes of inequality. Justice, for us, is something lived and practised, not simply declared.
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 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 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.