A foot in the door

For decades, getting your foot on the first rung of the career ladder in the theatre industry has meant sweeping the stage, making the tea or asking Great Aunt Mabel if she can put you in touch with her friends in high places. Countless colleagues now in middle-management positions began as unpaid interns, an employment practice which is gradually receding but which has ultimately led to an appalling lack of diversity in the creative workforce. With the current battle against youth unemployment in Britain, it is more important than ever to be strategic and forward-thinking in the way we recruit fresh new talent.

Things are certainly changing. Arts Council England’s (ACE) recent investment in the Creative Employment Programme is inspiring arts organisations to set up part-funded apprenticeships and internships for young professionals, sparking a welcome shift in our employment culture. The Creative Society campaigns for fair treatment of young professionals with its Fair Access Principle, a mission statement of minimum recruitment practice for employing interns, apprentices and volunteers. And, as I write, the Creative & Cultural Skills’ Creative Nation campaign is gathering pace, seeking to draw attention to two starkly contrasting truths: 950,000 young people aged between 16 and 24 are unemployed in the UK, while the creative industries are defying the general economic trend and setting an encouraging course for growth. How do we connect these two facts to source the best young talent for our industry while ensuring that they are valued as employees?

The benchmark for best practice in employment of young professionals has definitely been raised over the past couple of years. ACE issued guidelines in late 2011 which laid out employers’ legal obligations regarding interns, a paper which sought to “make sure that working in the arts is seen as a sustainable, long-term career for people of all backgrounds”, and served as a call to arms (but not an ultimatum) to encourage organisations to pay their interns. In September ACE was part of the Gateways to the Professions Collaborative Forum which published a new paper on Common Best Practice Code for High Quality Internships.

The theatre industry is coming to its senses in terms of creating established entry routes for young professionals and improved fair access for all

At my company, the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), the last two years have brought significant positive progress in the way we employ and support young professionals at the start of their career. Rosemary Squire, our Joint Chief Executive, says: “Training within the industry is vital and we are working towards improving opportunities across all areas of the business to increase awareness of the scope of jobs available and improve our skill base.”

Though our office internship has existed for years, interns have only been paid since January 2012. The last year has seen particular improvement in the interns’ learning experience with us and the support offered from members of staff. Interns spend just over three months at our three head offices in London, and we also have student placements in our finance department in Woking. Individual managers look after the interns’ daily duties and they are mentored by a member of staff throughout their internship, to help with induction, self-reflection, learning objectives and their subsequent career progression. We also run a regular intern seminar which is a chance to network with peers and meet with a senior guest to learn about their job and career path. Many of our interns go on to work for us in some capacity beyond their internship: 89% of our office interns from 2012 went on to further employment with us, and 67% are still working for ATG now.

A more recent development has been our new programme for apprentice theatre technicians. A wage-subsidy grant from the Creative Employment Programme enabled us to pilot four technical apprenticeships in our theatres. We are working closely with White Light, the ABTT and other partners to pool training resources and support our respective apprentices, with the qualifications accredited by North Herts College. It is a new initiative for us, and so far the challenges arise with the documentation and assessment requirements, while the on-the-job training comes more easily. Luckily our set-up allows for flexibility in juggling the training and the work. At our busiest time of year, the pantomime season, the apprentices can focus entirely on the job in hand, and pick up their training responsibilities again in January. While it is still early days, we are hopeful that the technical apprenticeships will become an annual fixture and will fuel our technical workforce with highly trained, inspired young employees.

The apprenticeship model is certainly a popular one in the theatre industry at the moment, with the London Theatre Consortium announcing 38 new apprentices over two years, and many more springing up as a result of the wage-subsidy currently available. Masterclass at the Theatre Royal Haymarket offers apprenticeships for emerging theatre makers, including working with us to place a design apprentice with Soutra Gilmour on The Pride, and recently held a showcase of the work of the apprentices. At the last meeting of the Education & Young People’s Forum (co-chaired by the Society of London Theatre and Mousetrap Theatre Projects) we discussed routes into the industry for young people, and, as this article goes to print, preparations are underway for TheatreCraft, the careers fair for budding professionals aged 16 to 25 interested in careers in theatre beyond the stage.

Our other current development is a foray into the competitive world of graduate recruitment. While graduate schemes tend to be the specialty of banks, law firms and large retail companies, we are breaking new ground with a pilot graduate scheme for the theatre industry, in management and administration. In its planning stages at the moment, the scheme will begin with two graduates in September 2014, with a long-term goal to expand the intake according to demand. As far as we know, this scheme is unique in the field, complementing programmes such as Stage One for new producers and Step Change for mid-career development. Our graduate trainees will gain a foundation in a wide range of departments across the business, including a focus on our theatre operations, before having the chance to specialise in the second year of the scheme. The scheme is set to be a further example of establishing a balance between work-based learning and more formal training opportunities, underpinned by professional mentorship.

Overall, the theatre industry is coming to its senses in terms of creating established entry routes for young professionals and improved fair access for all. However, there is still a way to go – each opportunity is heavily oversubscribed and there is significant room for improvement regarding diversity in the sector. Our experience is positive, with valued trainees on structured work programmes becoming respected employees. Ultimately, we are investing in the industry leaders of the future.

Zoë Briggs is Learning Partnerships Manager at the Ambassador Theatre Group.
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