ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY CELEBRATES NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIPS WEEK 2023
RSC commits to extending the Company’s Apprenticeships to 28
WATCH VIDEO HERE
DOWNLOAD IMAGES HERE
To celebrate the launch of National Apprenticeship Week 2023 (6-12th February), the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has today released a new film showcasing the diverse career pathways available as part of its UK-wide Apprenticeships scheme, which aims to develop a diverse talent base and ensure fairer access to and representation across the performing arts sector.
The Company also pledged its commitment to extend its current programme of Apprenticeships from 11 to 28 by the Spring of 2024. Seven of the apprenticeship posts began at the start of 2023, with a further four apprentices set to join the organisation in April and the remainder in post by Spring 2024.
Working in partnership with a nationwide network of 12 Associate Regional Theatres across the UK alongside regional training providers Solihull College & University Centre and Stratford-upon-Avon College and Chichester College, the RSC’s national Apprenticeship Programme provides targeted apprenticeship opportunities across all areas of its work., The specific focus is on young people with under-represented protected characteristics and/or from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
The RSC currently offers apprenticeships in the Operations, Automation, Learning and National Partnerships and Front of House teams. Previous RSC apprenticeships have included placements in Customer Services, Venue Management, Scenic Carpentry, Scenic Engineering, Catering, Costume, Prop making and Maintenance Engineering.
Apprenticeships at the Royal Shakespeare Company are intended for people who want to pursue a career in theatre, taking a work-based path and offering the opportunity to gain Level 2 (equivalent to GCSE grade A*-C/9-4) and/or Level 3 qualifications (equivalent to an A Level). On average, apprentices spend around 80% of their time at the RSC and 20% with their training provider.
Apprentices have the opportunity to train and earn a salary, whilst studying towards a professional qualification, with all coursework time included in their contracted hours.
Jacqui O’Hanlon, Director of Learning and National Partnerships, said:
‘The RSC is acutely aware of the need for the theatre industry to diversify both on and off its stages. We know that lack of talent and potential is not the issue but lack of opportunity is. This evidence comes through our work with 12 theatre partners and over 250 Associate Schools in some of the country’s most structurally disadvantaged areas.,
‘We are fully committed to our role as a Teaching Theatre – an organisation that invests in, supports and trains current and future generations of theatre artists and professionals to build a stronger, fairer and more diverse arts sector. That means offering clear pathways through training, learning and research, for young people to have quality arts experiences and consider the possibility of a career in the sector for themselves’.
Anthony Skates from Creative and Cultural Skills, added:
“Working with The RSC has been an absolute delight. Being able to support the team towards such an ambitious apprenticeship programme has also allowed Creative and Cultural Skills (CCSkills) to explore new ways of working for the changing needs of the creative industries. It has been brilliant to meet some of the apprentices who have joined the company as a result of our collaboration and to see the impact of our work.
At CCSkills we firmly believe that apprenticeship programmes like this one are vital for the diversification of the creative workforce, the sustainability of the skills we need and the continued economic growth of the sector.”
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a theatre and learning charity and the only arts organisation to have been awarded Independent Research Organisation status by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). This status has enabled the RSC to broaden its research capacity and develop its role as a national centre for Shakespeare and performance, teaching, training, learning and research.
Case Study: Kate Bradley, Automation Apprentice
Kate Bradley started working with the RSC in September 2022.
‘Right from the very first day of my Apprenticeship, I was on the ground, in the thick of it, doing the job. I’m also just about to start my college course as well so I’m learning everyday whilst also getting paid to do a really cool job. As an Automation apprentice, I fly scenery and also people using winches and computer programming. As part of my time with the RSC, I’m also learning about electronics, Sound, Video and Stage Management among other skills.
‘Working in a theatre production environment, every day is different, so I walk in not necessarily knowing what I’m going to do but knowing that it’s going to be interesting and I’m going to learn’
Case Study: Priya Olivia, Scenic Engineer
Priya is a Scenic Engineer at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
‘Being an apprentice has allowed me to use my practical skills as part of my career. Not everyone is great in the classroom. I work better with my hands. Through the apprenticeship scheme, I was able to learn new skills, work with different people and go out into different companies on work placement which including working with both TV and events companies. I love it here and I work with such a great department with varied backgrounds so even though I have been working in the industry for nearly ten years now, I’m still learning more now than I ever did before.’
Ends
For further information contact Kate Evans (Media and Communications Manager) at kate.evans@rsc.org.uk 07920 244 434
NOTES TO EDITORS
The work of RSC Learning is generously supported by Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Adobe, The Clore Duffield Foundation, The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust, GRoW @ Annenberg, Samsung, The Polonsky Foundation, The Schroder Foundation, The Wyfold Charitable Trust, Stratford Town Trust, The Goldsmiths’ Company Charity, Teale Charitable Trust, The Grimmitt Trust, George Fentham Birmingham Charity, The Misses Barrie Charitable Trust and TAK Advisory Limited.
The Royal Shakespeare Company creates theatre at its best, made in Stratford-upon-Avon and shared around the world. We produce an inspirational artistic programme each year, setting Shakespeare in context, alongside the work of his contemporaries and today’s writers.
We have trained generations of the very best theatre makers and we continue to nurture the talent of the future. We encourage everyone to enjoy a lifelong relationship with Shakespeare and live theatre. We reach 530,000 children and young people annually through our education work, transforming their experiences in the classroom, in performance and online.
Everyone at the RSC - from actors to armourers, musicians to technicians - plays a part in creating the world you see on stage.
We recognise the climate emergency and work hard to embed environmental sustainability into our operations, creative work and business practice and have made a commitment to reduce continually our Carbon Footprint. We have measures already in place from green electricity to replace energy consuming equipment with high efficiency, using low carbon equipment, and delivering programmes to raise environmental awareness across the RSC. We acknowledge that sharing our work with audiences across the world will involve travel
About Creative & Cultural Skills:
We want to see a fair and skilled cultural sector*, that’s why we exist. Our collaboration with employers means we understand what they need, and our regular research means we stay up to date. We’re helping to inform the future of work in our field - not just for economic growth but for social impact too - and because it makes good sense.
Support with apprenticeships, influencing the latest qualification developments, giving people information and choice or defining skills and workforce need – we cover it all.
Creativity and culture are here to stay, so making sure opportunities really are inclusive is what we work hard to address.
And we’re UK wide; but we’re not all the same. Difference is good and we consider ourselves to be champions of the diversity that’s everywhere in the places we work.
We’re aiming for a different cultural landscape; we’re speaking up for change.
National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) is an opportunity for the education and skills sector to celebrate the achievements of apprentices around the country and the positive impact they make to communities, businesses, and the wider economy.
From virtual career fairs, myth busting talks, graduation ceremonies through to factory tours, the Week has something for everyone. You will hear personal stories from apprentices and employers about their own journeys and experiences and why apprenticeships provide the #SkillsForLife.
