Government Partnership to Make Young Australians ArtsReady

Government Partnership to Make Young  Australians ArtsReady

Government Partnership to Make Young Australians ArtsReady

A Federal Government-funded program to create hundreds of new quality jobs for young Australians in the arts and creative sector officially gets underway from today.


The new ArtsReady program is part of the Federal Government’s National Cultural Policy, Creative Australia and will create an education and employment pathway in technical, management and administrative roles for secondary school students and school leavers passionate about working in the arts and creative industries.

ArtsReady General Manager Andrew Murray said the new $.3.4 million program was designed to give young people exciting opportunities to gain experience and qualifications in critical support roles.

“A traineeship through ArtsReady will deliver young people with the skill-based training they need to enter and succeed in the arts and creative industries, offering a pathway to meaningful employment for the vast array of the technical, management and administrative jobs vital to the sectors’ ongoing development,” Mr Murray said.

“ArtsReady is an innovative three-way partnership between ourselves, the arts and creative sector and young people.”

“Thanks to ArtsReady, young people who have a passion for the arts will have the opportunity to undertake a traineeship in the sector, earning accredited qualifications as they gain practical, on the job experience.”

“ArtsReady uniquely marries the needs of employers and young people. We aim to become Australia’s leading provider of quality arts and creative sector traineeships for young school-leavers, senior high school students and other young adults.”

Officially launched today at a special celebration at The Capital, Bendigo’s Performing Arts Centre, ArtsReady will initially be rolled out in Victoria and NSW and will be established across Australia within the next four years.

Mr Murray said ArtsReady’s key aims were to:

  • Develop a strong partnership that responds to the workforce needs of the arts and creative sector through the creation of traineeships that will skill the next generation of workers;
  • Promote pathways into jobs in the arts and creative industries;
  • Provide young people with quality workplace experiences and industry recognised qualifications;
  • Include a focus on improving access to traineeships for Indigenous young people; 
  • Equip trainees with the experience and qualifications necessary to make an ongoing contribution in their field; and
  • Engage with schools to help young people develop a career pathway for when they leave school.


“The ArtsReady concept is based on a proven traineeship model, which supports young people to take that first step in a long-term career,”
he said.

Mr Murray said many young people assumed a career in the arts and creative industries was only available as an artist or performer, with many unaware of the large number of ancillary and service roles necessary to support the sectors.


“ArtsReady will open doors for young people who until now have not had the opportunity to pursue their career in the arts industry, while also providing opportunities for students who have undertaken elite training and are seeking a new career direction,”
he said.

ArtsReady will be delivered by AFL SportsReady, an independent not-for-profit national education and employment company that has spent two decades creating pathways for over 10,000 young people across a variety of fields, including sport and recreation, banking and finance, education, IT, administration and horticulture.

AFL SportsReady CEO James Montgomery said the company had built a successful track record through adapting its traineeship and education model to suit the individual needs of different industries, working in partnership with industry-based experts to offer students specialist one-on-one support as they complete their on-the-job traineeships and education.


“Our targeted, support-based service model has been a continued success, demonstrated through high trainee retention rates, strong trainee engagement and clear and proven pathways to employment, or further education,”
Mr Montgomery said.


“Our proven track record gives us confidence to expand our successful education and employment model in partnership with the arts and creative sectors, and we are excited about helping more young Australians gain the skills and experience that will benefit the young workforce of the future and enrich the industry as a whole.”


DATE:
30 July, 2013
IMAGE
: James Montgomery, CEO – ArtsReady & AFL SportsReady and Andrew Murray, General Manager – ArtsReady. 

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