Highlighting the importance of creative and cultural apprenticeships

Chichester College brought people together to celebrate the creative and cultural industry at an event held as part of National Apprenticeship Week. 

On Wednesday 8 February, lecturers joined guest speakers, current and prospective apprentices at the Chichester Festival Theatre for a busy afternoon of educating, networking and talking all things apprenticeships. 

Hosted by Sally Garner-Gibbons, programme manager for creative and cultural apprenticeships at Chichester College, the event aimed to highlight the importance of the creative and cultural industry and the positive impact offering apprenticeships has for prospective creatives. 

After a small session of meet and greets, guests came together for two apprentice workshops. 

The first workshop, ‘The Future Pipeline for Creative Apprenticeships’, was hosted by Kirsty Woolaston from IFATE. And that was then followed by ‘The work of Creative and Cultural Skills in the Creative Sector’, hosted by Jo Esposti from CCSkills. 

The event was an opportunity for guests to share similar experiences, advise on their specialties and network with new creative faces. 

Sally said: “The gathering exceeded my expectations in the number of people who came to the event to learn about our offer and share their positive experiences 

“Events like these are so important to highlight a manageable approach for our future generation to kickstart their career and to help the industry grow their own talent pool. 
 
“I really believe apprenticeships are the perfect starting place for people who are passionate about working in the theatre or creative industry; they offer the opportunity to start those careers right in the heart of it and mentorship from industry professionals.”