Apprenticeships in the Creative & Cultural Sector

Apprenticeships give people an opportunity to learn on the job while being paid a wage by their employer. They give people a head-start in the world of work. Apprentices gain an understanding of the realities of the workplace, learn new skills and increase their knowledge of the area they want to look in.

The NSA offers the Creative Apprenticeship as well as other types of Apprenticeship for the creative and cultural sector.

The Apprenticeship is supported by the National Apprenticeship Service funds and co-ordinates the delivery of all Apprenticeships throughout England.

Entry Requirements

Entry requirements are flexible and usually based on ability and potential rather than academic track record.

Competition can be fierce so the following attributes are highly sought after:

• Motivation to succeed within the industry
• Discipline, enthusiasm and initiative
• Capacity to develop organisational skills and cope in busy conditions
• Willingness to learn and ability to apply learning
• Willingness to work with due regard to health and safety
• Willingness to adapt to different work roles and to communicate with a range of people
• An interest in the Creative & Cultural Industries.

Length of training and qualifications

An Apprenticeship is a framework which a suite of qualifications fit into. It is not a qualification in its own right. In the UK, Apprenticeships are described in different ways but they essentially consist of the following elements:

A vocational qualification - This qualification establishes a level of competence in relation to the job role.

A knowledge-based qualification - This qualification provides the Apprentice with the knowledge they need for a given area of work.

Key, core or essential skills in application of number and communication - These skills in communication and application of number give an apprentice the generic skills they need in the workplace.

The minimum length of training is likely to range from 9-18 months

Pay

From 1st October 2010 the present exemption from the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for apprentices will end, and all apprentices in the United Kingdom must be paid at least £2.50 an hour.

The new Apprenticeship NMW applies to all those apprentices who are presently exempt from the NMW i.e. those aged 16-18 and those aged 19 or over in the first year of their apprenticeship.

For more information about these changes please visit the the Low Pay Commission Website

Completion of the apprenticeship could lead to...

• A period of working in the same role and the development of additional skills either at a higher level or at the same level
• Sideways development into a different role, without the achievement of formal qualifications such as NVQs
• Entry onto the Creative Apprenticeship Advanced Apprenticeship