Breakthrough Traineeship – Projects Assistant, Herne Bay & Canterbury
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 the creative programme by providing administrative and practical support to the creative team and, from time to time, performing other general administrative tasks in the broader organisation.
To support the Communications Coordinator in planning and delivery of creative programme comms.
To also support aspects of the creative programme’s evaluation, particularly data collection.
This role will include assisting with:
- People United’s Projects Manager, to provide a range of administrative and practical support for the creative programme, including ‘on site’ project support when needed
- The creative team in collating project evaluation
- People United’s 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 strategies and campaigns as part of the creative team
- Admin support to the Communications Coordinator, 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, such as Girl Guide Kindness Challenge Badges
- 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
About the employer
People United (PU) is a socially engaged arts organisation based in Canterbury. Working closely with social care organisations, artists and participant collaborators, we ‘create futures with care’ holding space for communities to be creative, keep going and do things differently in the context of austerity, economic/social disparity and increasingly polarised views. We prioritise support for those working in social care environments, addressing burnout created by increasing pressure and lack of resource.
Why art? We know that creativity involves both divergent thinking (enabling people to come up with many possible ideas and solutions) and convergent thinking (finding the single best solution to a problem). Using art and creativity enables people to both be present and reflect, activating and imagining ideas in a space which is free from prescribed outcomes. For us it’s as much about the process as a finished product; our creative practice results in positive social outcomes for organisations, individuals and groups.
Using care centred practice we encourage creativity to flourish in an environment where we care for ourselves, each other, and the world around us. We focus on care centred practice with everyone we work with; always in deep partnerships across sectors, shining a light on Radical Care wherever it appears, from food kitchens to immigration services. Working in partnership with these services allows us to make deeper connections with people who experience the most disadvantage.
We are a learning organisation, continually questioning, and sharing our learning within and outside the sector. Our practice is informed by the principals of Radical Care which challenges systemic inequality and advocates for change. We provide rigorous evidence for our work through partnerships with research institutes and individuals.
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
-
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.