ESF-Works

The Last Mile: The Creative Academy, Slough

Logo for The Last Mile: The Creative Academy, Slough www.creativeacademy.org 

Description

Big Dance Weekend

Background 

The creative industries is a fast growing sector of the UK economy, employing nearly two million people. But very few women, people from the BME community, the disabled or white working-class men are getting a look-in – either as employees, freelancers or business owners.

Aims 

As part of the multi-region Last Mile programme, the Creative Academy has provided local people in Slough with an innovative programme of creative skills development and business support in art, dance, film, music technology, singing, textiles, theatre and  video production. 

Objectives 

  • Support local freelancers, micro businesses and SMEs.
  • Provide training at all levels, to all sorts of people.
  • Offer advice and information on anything to do with working in the creative industries.
  • Facilitate work placements for local people.
  • Arrange events that showcase local creative talent.
  • Develop new programmes to address gaps in the market e.g. Creative Apprenticeships and a foundation degree in dance.
 Target groups
  • Women
  • People from the BME community
  • People with disablities
  • White working-class men

Round

2

Round 1 to Round 2

Slough Borough Council was a key partner in the Round One ‘ici’ (inclusion in the creative industries) partnership.

Core partners

Slough Borough Council >>

Contact

Alison Hibbert
Slough Borough Council
alison.hibbert@slough.gov.uk >>
George Kirkham
Slough Borough Council
george.kirkham@slough.gov.uk >>

End-dates

Action 2: 31 March 2008
Action 3: 31 March 2008

Equal theme

Facilitating access

Beneficiaries

BME groups, Employed in SMEs, Other, People with disabilities, Unemployed, Women
Total beneficiaries: 268

Achievements

Creative Academy beneficiaries

Since we opened the doors in 2003, more than 5,000 people have taken part in some way.

  • 250 people have gone along to our Creative Taster courses.
  • 190 people have been on our short creative courses.
  • 115 local freelancers, creative people and young people have used our one-to-one business advice and creative careers services.
  • 30 young businesses have benefited from business training workshops.
  • 200 people have gained NVQ Level 1-3 qualifications in music, theatre, film, dance and textiles.
  • Two new NVQ Level 4 qualifications have been developed, with Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, in textiles and dance.
  • One new foundation degree, in dance, has been through its first stage validation with Thames Valley University.
  • Two more new foundation degrees are being developed.
  • There have been eight big showcasing events.

Creative Academy beneficiaries
We have helped many local creative companies to grow:

In the digital and new media world: Resource Productions; Paperknife Productions; Instinct Media; and SL1DE. 

From the world of performing arts and events: Fusion Dance Company; Mess Up The Mess; Fusion Youth Dance Company; Beat Routes; Two Left Feet; Rifco Arts; Slough Youth Festival.

In the fashion and textiles sector: Jabeen and Tebasum Enterprise.

And we’ve given lots of local people the opportunity to do work placements and training in the creative industries sector. This includes:

  • 45 paid work placements in industry
  • 10 students on the dance foundation degree
  • 25 students on the Music Apprenticeship Scheme
  • 13 people on a mobile technology programme
  • 50 people on the Creative Training for Young People programme
  • 4,800 Year 9 pupils going along to creative workshops, demonstrations and seminars.

Creative Academy beneficiaries

Our efforts have been widely recognised nationally and locally.

In 2004, the Creative Academy, Slough was named by the Municipal Journal (that’s the authoritative yearbook for local authorities), as a finalist in the Community Initiative of the Year.

In a competition run by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), the Creative Academy won the southern region ‘Enterprising Britain’ award for its work involving the Last Mile project. The academy went on to represent the region in the national finals in an awards ceremony in London, eventually finishing as runners-up.

Intended impact/ sustainability

The Creative Academy team is working to attract mainstream learning and skills funding to keep the Creative Academy going once the Last Mile programme finishes.

The foundation degree in dance developed by the Creative Academy and validated by Thames Valley University using Equal funds is now in its second academic year (December 2007). This programme has been hugely successful as it can now sustain itself by recruiting students on to the degree and drawing down funding from HEFCE that will secure the staff needed to run the course. Having attracted eight students in the first year, the course now has 17 in year two and nearly 20 applicants waiting for auditions for the next academic year.

Scatter plot

ProcessX
PracticeXX
Product
PolicyX
CityLocalRegionalNationalEuropean

Process/National

A key part of our approach is to make sure that more and more of our work meets national vocational standards.

Practice/Regional

The other towns, cities and sub-regions involved in the project from the UK are Birmingham, London, Sheffield, Manchester and Cumbria.

Practice/European

The Creative Academy has been working with international partners in Germany, Finland and Italy.

Policy/Local

The Creative Academy, Slough has been supporting local creative companies to grow.

Move the mouse over the scatter plots to see more information or view all information without using the mouse.

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Connections

Activities and products

Activity
Foundation Degree Dance >> The Creative Academy in partnership with Thames Valley University developed an innovative two year vocational foundation degree in dance to bridge the gap between education and employment.


Activity
IAG - Creative Industries Development Service >> The service offers SMEs, freelancers and creative individuals guidance, advice and professional development towards developing careers in the creative industries.


Activity
Showcasing >>The showcasing project allowed dancers and performers who have trained under the Creative Academy programme to ‘showcase’ what they have learnt and achieved.Expand/collapse Products (4)


Activity
Training Levels 1-5 >>As part of the project, the Creative Academy has offered a range of training programmes.Expand/collapse Products (8)


Activity
Work Placements >> Local creatives were offered paid and unpaid short- and long-term work placements.


Printable document
Creative Slough Case Study - Creative Academy >> The Creative Academy is one of a number of programmes which make up Creative Slough – a strategy for enabling local people to share in Slough’s economic success.