Factory International - based at Manchester's iconic Aviva Studios - has launched the latest round of its Factory Academy training courses - which offer essential skills to develop careers in the creative and cultural industries.
A major focus of the programme is ensuring that creative skills and opportunities are accessible to all, so all the courses are free to participants – which means local people of all backgrounds have the potential to develop a career without leaving the region.
The award-winning training programme was established to address skills shortages and diversify the workforce in what is an increasingly important economic sector: creative industries are a £100 billion addition to the UK economy.
The main findings of a new report on the programme reveals more than 1,000 Greater Manchester residents have already graduated from Factory Academy courses and have gone on to employment or to fulfil a range of personal and professional goals, from securing funding to realise creative projects, gaining their first producing credits, kick-starting freelance stage management careers and securing employment across the region including at Co-op Live, the Manchester Science and Industry Museum, the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, Manchester Youth Zone and Odd Arts.
Courses are developed with organisations and industry experts who have specialist knowledge and experience in a range of sectors, from event managers, musicians, and teachers to production managers and technicians.
Courses beginning in September include: Event Ready: Accelerated Training for Theatre and Venue Technicians (Sep 30–Oct 18 2024); Foundations In: Business X Creativity (Sep 23-Dec 13); Managing Creative Projects (Sep 17-Oct 18) and Factory Academy x HEADS: Creative Content (Sep 17-Oct 18)
Factory's chief executive, John McGrath said: “From the moment our new home was first dreamed up, the belief that it should have a real impact on skills and employment has been core.
"Aviva Studios and Factory International, the organisation that operates it, are central to Greater Manchester’s growing cultural economy. It is essential that the widest possible range of Manchester citizens benefit from its creative offer and from the wider economic growth for which it is a catalyst.”
More info here
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