'Brilliant' opportunity for young people to boost creative skills

The latest Children’s Capital of Culture cohort of trainees - (back row) Cait Earnshaw, Darlene Galabe, Sophie Ellingham, Ella Franklin, Ellie Coldwell, Loz Sayce, Karyss-Ann Nowell. (front row) Ben Unsworth, Dominic Sharkey, Avumile Sibanda, Olivia Downton, Chloe Wragg - Photo credit: Nick Singleton

The latest cohort positions follows two previous successful traineeship programmes in 2022 and 2023 as part of the borough's Children’s Capital of Culture 2025 programme, which saw more than 75 young people interested in a creative career path gain experience at some of Rotherham’s most progressive cultural organisations.

The new trainees for 2024 will complete paid placements of between six and 12 months at organisations including Grimm and Co, Sheffield DocFest, Rotherham United Community Trust, Skills Street at Gulliver’s Valley, Flux Rotherham, and Rotherham Council’s Rotherham Music and Clifton Park Museum.

They will undertakea wide variety of roles, ranging from marketing and event management to festival organisation and creative development, all helping to plan and deliver an exciting line-up of events for children, young people and wider communities to enjoy in the run-up to, and including, 2025.

Ellie Coldwell (22) is one of the new trainees and will be working as a marketing assistant at Clifton Park Museum for 12 months.

She said: “This is my first role in marketing, so it’s a brilliant opportunity for me to gain experience of everything from brochure creation and website development, to social media and events.

“In the lead up to 2025, I’ll also be working with different organisations and teams to create events that will happen across this year, so I’ll have lots of opportunities to develop my creative skills and expand my knowledge.”

Helen Jones, director at Flux Rotherham, which has taken on two trainees, said: “Hosting trainees expands our creative capacity as an organisation, and we benefit from their lived experience and expertise, which feeds into and shapes our long-term planning.”

Sarah Christie, progamme manager of Children’s Capital of Culture, added: “These traineeships showcase the varied range of creative career paths available in Rotherham and the surrounding area. They provide local young people with lifechanging opportunities.”

The new training programme is being supported and part-funded by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and Arts Council England.