Skills Hub Mentorship Scheme Seeks Mentees

The County Durham Creative and Cultural Skills Hub, hosted by Beamish Museum, is inviting people to apply to be mentored in a new scheme aimed at helping them advance their careers within the Creative and Cultural Sector in County Durham.

The Skills Hub is part of the county-wide Into the Light programme, which aims to cultivate talent, boost skills and break down barriers to working in the creative industries.

The programme is particularly interested in supporting mentees from communities who have historically been underrepresented in the workforce and/or who have faced multiple barriers to entry or progression.

As part of this, the Hub is seeking 12 motivated mentees who are either current creative and cultural sector professionals/volunteers or who are looking to change careers, and are living or working in County Durham.

During the six-month pilot scheme, there will be 12 hours of mentoring per mentee/mentor pairing. Mentees and mentors will be paired after successful on-boarding and every participant will receive ongoing support throughout their mentoring journey.

Niamh Barclay, Project Lead for the Creative and Cultural Skills Hub, said: “This programme is an opportunity for individuals living and working in County Durham to gain 12 hours of one-to-one personalised advice on their creative and cultural career.

“Whether you are looking for progression and growth or a career change, signing up for our mentorship scheme will offer you the accountability and dedicated space to focus on your aspirations as well as provide you with actionable steps that will allow you to achieve your goals.

“We are committed to providing an equitable experience and to removing barriers to access, and, thanks to our Into the Light funding, we are able to ensure that this mentorship is free of charge.”

The Durham Creative and Cultural Skills Hub aims to help boost the skills, capacity and resilience of the county’s creative and cultural sector.

Julia Handelman-Smith, Director of Into the Light, said: “To strengthen the cultural sector within County Durham, it is vital that we build a more inclusive, diverse and skilled workforce for the future. This is one of the core aims of the Into the Light programme,  a place partnership driving change and regeneration across the county through culture.

“There are a lot of exceptionally talented people within the county, who are looking for opportunities to work within the arts, heritage and creative industries and I’m delighted we can offer mentoring through the County Durham Creative and Cultural Skills Hub. This fantastic programme will give people the stepping stone they need to secure a creative role, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they all progress.”

The Hub is part of Into the Light, which is a three-year programme across County Durham, consisting of eight projects across three interconnected themes. Into the Light is delivered by Durham County Council in partnership with Beamish Museum, The Bowes Museum, Durham University, Ensemble ‘84, The Forge, No More Nowt, Northern Heartlands, Redhills CIO and TIN Arts. Culture Durham is a key stakeholder, representing the broader cultural sector.

It is funded by Durham County Council, the National Lottery through Arts Council England, the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Durham University.

For more information visit www.beamish.org.uk/vacancy/skills-hub-mentee-vacancies/.