Between May 2021 and September 2022 we helped 35 young people find their first jobs in the arts through the government Kickstart scheme. The Scheme provided funding to employers to create jobs for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit.

16 venues across the network took part in the scheme which was administrated by house who also provided additional on-the-job training on subjects such as being Gender smart, leadership and career planning. Venues used the opportunity of the 6 month placements to bring in new starters to work and train in Box Office, Technical, Visitor Services or Marketing roles and we are delighted that several of the scheme graduates remain employed at the organisations or used their experience as stepping stone to further employment.

We caught up with some of the graduates from the scheme who have continued to work at their organisations to see what they are doing now.

Izzy Smith, Marketing and Production Assistant, Proteus Theatre Company

When I began the kickstart scheme at Proteus I was working as the Assistant Producer, I have now joined the marketing team and gained engagement responsibilities alongside my production duties.

I found out about the job opportunity through the job centre. When we went into lockdown I was unable to work, so I had to sign on. During my meetings, I explained how I did not want to go back to working as a cleaner and hoped to one day work in the arts. From this conversation, my mentor found me the job application for Kickstart at Proteus.

I knew I wanted to work in the arts, since finishing university in 2019, but I wasn't sure how I was going to get my foot in the door and I also didn't know what profession. I had thought I might work in television or film, but the theatre was something that hadn't crossed my mind as I had never studied it or personally looked into it. I don't know what my dream job would be now, I am happy working in theatre and I think it is something I want to continue to explore. There is so much more to it than I first thought. I have worked on our own touring shows, I have worked on shows that come to our venue and on all the community projects we do.

I think the best experience I have had so far during my time at Proteus was the first day working as Assistant Stage Manager on our mid-scale tour of The Bloody Chamber. We did our tech week in Harlow and I learnt so much from this first week. I didn't really know what to expect but it was jumping in with both feet and finding out about what goes on behind the curtain, so to speak, that I loved and made me think that this was the industry I am glad to be in.

Since my Kickstart at Proteus ended, and I joined the team completely, I have learnt so much and been given opportunities that can fill my theatre CV. I have been lucky enough to move through different departments to see what skills I can learn as I go. Stage management, Youth Theatre practitioner, Marketing, and Engagement, I am free to spread myself across roles to find what I am good at and enjoy.

I think I was able to stay on after the scheme as an employee because everyone at Proteus was so hands-on with showing me the ropes, It meant I learnt a lot in 6 months. Mary Swan (Artistic Director) asked if I would like to come on as the Assistant Stage Manager for the tour after the scheme finished and I leapt at the opportunity. Since then I have moved my way into Marketing Assistant and Mary George (Marketing Manager) has taught me so much about the role and let me take on responsibility and go about things in my own way whilst guiding me through. She has been an incredible teacher and I now feel marketing is something I can add to my CV. (Basically, I am still at Proteus because I kept asking for jobs to do and they didn't say no!)

There is so much we have coming up at Proteus which I am excited to be a part of. We have the National Theatre Connections Youth Theatre performance in Reading, Mary Swan is currently writing a new show which I have been asked to tour with her, our adult theatre collective The Proteans will be performing Shakespeare in The Walled Garden, this will be my first time working on outdoor theatre. There is so much in the coming year that I will be getting to work on, many things which I have never done before. I'm excited, nervous and expecting to learn a whole lot more.

Thank you to Janet, Helen, Matthew, Mary S and Mary G for having me and keeping me!

Louise Lovekin, Digital Marketing Assistant, Riverhouse Barn Arts Centre

I started at Riverhouse as the Digital Marketing Assistant through the Kickstart scheme and have been able to turn that into a permanent 2 day a week role.

I was receiving Universal Credit after finishing university and had started some further education right as Covid started which had limited my immediate job hunting opportunities, and became aware of the Kickstart scheme - a family friend saw that Riverhouse was advertising for Kickstart applicants and as I was local I applied right away.

I hadn't imagined working in the arts but it seemed like it would be a nice job, and an opportunity to work with other people again after the isolation of lockdowns.

An ongoing project within the arts centre has been to film interviews with exhibiting artists, and that has been a lot of fun for me as I love to learn about art and the artist’s process. This also led to me being able to film and edit a puppet show, as they needed a digital version of their performance to promote themselves to festivals.

Within the role, I have undertaken social media marketing training directly through Riverhouse, and some resilience and business seminars provided by house as part of the Kickstart experience.

I work hard and have adapted to the slightly less structured nature of working for a community arts centre, which relies heavily on volunteer effort and mucking in. My colleagues appreciated my abilities and consistency, and were happy to continue my employment after the placement period ended.

I am looking forward for our Green Elmbridge Sustainability Fair coming up on Saturday 17 June. The fair is always a lovely time, with many stalls, talks and demonstrations from local speakers and green-minded businesses and craftspeople.

Skye Dearlove, Visitor Assistant, The Horton Arts Centre

I have held the position of Visitor Assistant at the Horton since I started on my kickstart placement. I found out about the job through a job fair at the Epsom job centre.

My dream job is plumbing but the art and history aspect of The Horton did intrigue me as I love history and art is one of my hobbies.

One of my favourite experiences here would have to be watching the blunter brothers, a band that performed and the first band I ever saw live.

I have not attended any training events but I have been given the chance to get my DBS check and child safety so I can now work with children when we do arts and craft events.

My managers saw how enthusiastic I was to learn new things and be helpful to the community and my love for the building offering me a permanent place.

As a new arts centre, I am looking forward to watching us grow and get more events on and have a wider variety of ages and I hope that the younger generation can appreciate it as much as I do when they find it.

I would also like to mention how helpful all of my bosses have been with helping me follow my dream of becoming a plumber. I will be going back to college in September and they have given me the confidence to go back and finish my course.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my story.