If you’re aged 18-25 and looking for a creative career, this might be the perfect opportunity for you!
March 2026 has marked the end of Artswork’s 2025 Breakthrough programme, and, as a young person entering the creative industry, it has been the most meaningful and useful professional experience I’ve had the joy of gaining.
Artswork is an arts charity committed to providing opportunities and empowering young creatives. Their Breakthrough programme is one of the ways they empower young people looking to enter the creative industry; it is an employability programme which includes training, mentoring, and the opportunity to gain invaluable skills and insight into creative career paths during a paid traineeship working at an organisation in the arts and cultural sector.
When applying to the programme, you apply to your choice of one (or more) arts organisations working with Artswork for a paid, temporary position. I applied to work at Creative Crawley as a General Assistant. Creative Crawley were an organisation I saw my own values reflected in; I was impressed by and eager to contribute to the lasting impact they were building on local communities. I have a personal passion for the positive impact arts and culture create on lives; I hold strongly that the arts are essential for health, wellbeing and community. It was exciting to enter a position where my work aligned with my love for the arts.
My work at Creative Crawley as General Assistant has developed my professional confidence, applicable skills and given me entirely new first-hand insights into the industry. I thoroughly enjoyed the varied nature of my work, which allowed me to both develop entirely new skills, such as in marketing and communications – opening new gateways to work I hadn’t previously explored – and being given the opportunity to uplift and strengthen pre-existing skills, such as in illustrating for the organisation.
Though the main highlight I wanted to talk about (perhaps above all!) has been the people. Working alongside fantastic colleagues has elevated my experience and made my time all the more enjoyable, as well as the conversations with artists and local people, seeing the events Creative Crawley brings to life and hearing amazing feedback from enthusiastic audience members.
I’d like to call attention to the importance of Artswork’s mission to aid young people towards creative careers. Young people are facing barriers to employment, particularly in this sector; a troubling job market has left many without meaningful employment, and many young people report being discouraged from pursuing the arts due to undervaluing in places of education. Gateways like these are essential to support the careers of young people, and, correspondingly, it is essential for more organisations to consider and hire young creatives – forming new paths for young people whilst introducing crucial new perspectives to their own work.
Finally, I’d like to end with a huge thank you to Artswork and Creative Crawley for these opportunities and the wonderful team for creating such a welcoming work environment! I can’t wait to see what the future holds here at Creative Crawley.
You can find out more about Artswork and the opportunities they provide for young creatives through their instagram and webpage.
Core Value Illustrations by Luis McLellan for Creative Crawley’s 2026-2029 Business Plan
