Breakthrough Programme

The Breakthrough programme is a paid 6-month work placement scheme run by our team at Artswork with added training to support confidence and professionalism in the workplace. Designed as a stepping stone to get young people workplace experience and all-important employment skills. This short 6-month placement gives insights into what a future career in the Creative Industry would be like for young people and helps them to make future career plans.

It is also an opportunity for organisations across the South East to inject some fresh, new perspective and all-important youth voice into their team.

The programme is run in the South East of England and starts at the beginning of October each year.

The programme is open to any young person between the ages of 16 –25 who has found securing a meaningful job in the creative world a challenge. It’s a chance to breakthrough into a career that matters to them!

If you are an organisation or young person and are interested in being involved in our 2024 cohort, please email info@artswork.org.uk for more information and Sign-up to our newsletter to be notified when opportunities arise.

Breakthrough 2023

Breakthrough has begun for 2023, with 20 places filled across 13 participating organisations.

Our Careers team have delivered three weeks of training in early October with this years cohort, which focuses on supporting young people to share their lived experience with employers and use their voice to make positive changes in the workplace, as well as covering topics such as networking, writing professionally, and managing a workload.

Our participating organisations this year in the South East are:

East Sussex:

De La Warr Pavilion (Bexhill on Sea)

Hampshire:

Portsmouth:

Aspex Portsmouth, New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth Guildhall

Southampton:

a space arts, Artful Scribe, Sound Pop Academy, In Focus

Isle of Wight:

Independent Arts

Kent:

Canterbury Museums (Canterbury), The Horsebridge Arts Centre (Whitstable), Jasmin Vardimon Company (Ashford)