Breakthrough Traineeship – Projects Assistant, Dorchester
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
You will support our team across a range of exciting projects, including assisting with our:
- Community engagement projects
- Year-round workshops and performances by our youth performance groups The Remix /Dorset Youth Dance for young people aged 5 – 25
- Schools projects
- Performing arts creatives’ talent development such as CREATE! /artist advice sessions
- Staffing our events as part of the team
Work will include tasks such as:
- Contacting businesses asking for quotes for transport, catering etc.
- Attending meetings and taking notes
- Shadowing our Producers whilst they do their job
- Phone calls and emails
- Updating contact lists and other databases using Excel
- Creating event schedules
- Taking photos /video of our activities
- Supporting other departments and team members as required
Who we are:
We believe extraordinary moments connect and uplift us all. Our mission is to create opportunities for everyone through the performing arts.
Activate Performing Arts is a Dorset based charity that has been producing transformational programmes across the county for 35 years. We celebrate Dorset and promote our natural landscape and sense of place. Some of Dorset’s most remarkable urban and rural spots are transformed with experiences that touch hearts and minds like nothing else. At the heart of what we do is a belief that performing arts should be accessible for all – no matter what your experience or background.
We exist to promote, support and produce performing arts projects in our communities. Bringing world-class events to unexpected places, like town centres, village squares, beaches and hilltops.
Our aim is to break down barriers and reach the widest possible audiences, while celebrating our natural landscape and sense of place.
Supporting our performing arts community is at the heart of everything we do. We bring people together, offer advice, and provide access to learning and resources. We’re here to help creatives at all levels on their journey towards creating outstanding, inspiring work.
Within the Activate team, we have a female leadership and a broad mix of people with lived experience of caring responsibilities, disability/long-term health conditions and being from a working-class background. To read more about our Team go to: www.activateperformingarts.org.uk/meet-the-team/
We particularly welcome applications from people who have experienced barriers or prejudice relating to their age, gender identity, ethnicity and/or having a disability or long-term health condition, their sexuality, or being from a working class/low-income background.
We are keen to address under-representation in our team, through positive action in our recruitment.
Equality & Diversity
- We wholeheartedly support equal opportunities in all areas of our work. We strive to be a bold organisation that listens to the communities we work with. We encourage feedback on our services and how we can improve.
- We are committed to removing barriers. We oppose all forms of unlawful discrimination in relation to the protected characteristics. We are committed to having a staff and board that reflects and represents all sections of the community we serve and eliminating discrimination that is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010.
- We will guarantee an interview to any eligible D/deaf or disabled candidate who fulfils ALL of the the Job Description essential criteria for the role. Please note you must qualify as eligible under the Breakthrough scheme and meet ALL the essential criteria. Tell us in your application form if this applies to you. We are open to proposals of ways this role might be undertaken if our proposed structure presents barriers to any applicant.
- The interview panel will be representative of a diverse range of individuals.
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.