A half-day discovery fair for young people to learn more about creative careers in Winchester.
This November, during Discover Creative Careers Month we are hosting a half-day discovery fair for young people to learn more about creative careers in Winchester.
Date, Time & Location to be confirmed. Stay in the know here: EOI Form.
What is it about?
This is not intended as an opportunity to sell products or services; it is designed to encourage and nurture the next generation of creative talent. Stallholders are encouraged to have something fun or interactive to demonstrate the work they do – puzzles, quizzes, problem solving, hands on making etc.
Aimed at young people (11-21) and their parents, guardians and teachers, interested in learning more about creative careers. Designed to demystify creative careers and demonstrate the scope and breadth of creative career opportunities. It will also highlight opportunities to study and work in these fields in Winchester District.
Information for Creatives
Cultural and creative organisations will be invited to have a stand, not to talk about jobs they have on offer, but instead the jobs they do. Young people will be invited to ask questions about how you got to where you are, what you studied and what skills are most important in your role. Stallholders are encouraged to have people who do different kinds of roles present on the day. Organisations are encouraged to signpost opportunities if they have them, such as internships or work experience and be open to giving contact details to young people so they can follow up.
Education and training providers are welcome to join and would be ‘paired’ with one or more creatives with real-life experience of working in the sectors that you offer tuition in. This demonstrates how one course option can lead to multiple career opportunities.
Information for Young People
This is an opportunity for you to engage directly with individuals who are in creative careers in Winchester. To learn more about different job roles and the skills needed to support aspiration. It provides a platform to meet multiple organisations at one time and discover the types of employment available locally.
You can learn more about pathways and how people got to where they are today. You can discover education and training options to support you on your journey. This may include learning more about where you can do work experience, shadowing, placements or events.
Support will be in place to help you start thinking about skills and jobs you think you might like to pursue and conversations may help you discover options you didn’t even know about!
Information for Educators
Primarily aimed at year 8 / 9 students that have an aptitude for creativity who might be thinking about what subjects to study at GCSE. This will fulfil Gatsby Benchmark 6 (Modern Work Experience), engaging in “meaningful employer-led activities to explore different industries and careers and involve active engagement with a diverse range of employers”. Including learning:
- what it is like to work in that environment
- the skills that are valued in the workplace
- workplace recruitment processes
- what it takes to be successful
Also suitable for year 10+ to explore next steps and career pathways after secondary school. An opportunity to learn about local opportunities for work experience placements and beyond.
Why is this important?
- The economic contribution of the UK creative industries, as measured by Gross Value Added (GVA), is growing four times faster than that of the UK economy as a whole (4.6% v 1% in 2023-2024). (DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates)
- Creative industries jobs represent about 7% of total UK employment and 2.4m jobs. (Employment in DCMS sectors)
- 31% of young people aged 11-18 years old express an interest in pursuing jobs in the creative industries, but 49% do not know what skills or qualifications are needed to work in the sector. (DCMS creative careers research)
- 50% of young people in Hampshire said no to the following statement: 'You know about apprenticeships, university options and career paths'. (Children’s Commissioners Big Ambition)
- 37% of young people in Hampshire said no to the following statement: 'You know about good jobs for when you are older'. (Children’s Commissioners Big Ambition)
- 92% of residents surveyed thought we should support and encourage the creative industries. (Winchester District Cultural Strategy)
- 94% of residents surveyed thought cultural and creative activities were good for young people. (Winchester District Cultural Strategy)
What do we mean by ‘Creative Industries’
We use the DCMS definition of creative industries and hope to have representation from as many sub-sectors as possible.
- advertising and marketing
- architecture
- crafts
- design and designer fashion
- film, TV, radio and photography
- museums, galleries and libraries
- music, performing and visual arts
- publishing
- IT, software and computer services (includes video games)
