MyWorld Skills and Training team recently worked with Ife Grillo, Arts Engagement Officer at the University of Bristol on the Unlocking the Arts Academy, an initiative for underrepresented groups in Higher Education, Year 12 specifically.
The programme took place over six sessions, with a split between in-person and online. The sessions included visits to creative companies, with a strong focus on skills development, including masterclasses from professionals that provided an insight into how to access jobs within the creative industries.
In the first Unlocking the Arts Academy session, Stacey Olika, current Creative Diversity Coordinator at Channel 4, delivered an informative and engaging online presentation, introducing the Creative Industry and the opportunities it offers. The presentation was well received and provoked numerous questions. As well as an informative session the students also went away with advice and actions to further support them as they endeavour on their creative journeys.
"Stacey was funny and really engaging, I didn’t know that there was so much going on in Bristol and it was a really good place to be creative."
"I loved hearing from someone who’s young but has already done a lot. Sometimes you go to these things and its someone who are much older and feels kind of out of touch of what its like right now being a young person."