Our careers programme

The Northern School of Art has a history of nurturing and developing the creatives of tomorrow. Employer related skills are at the heart of the curriculum with many of the teaching staff having an industry-based backgrounds from specialist disciplines. As we continue to prepare our learners for their next steps there is a strong emphasis on ensuring they are learning and developing the skills and behaviours necessary for the workplace. The programme is designed to follow the Further Education Careers Policy which includes guidance from the Gatsby Benchmarking standards. Why do we need a careers programme, are there any jobs in the creative industries? Between 2011 and 2017, the number of jobs in the creative industries have increased by almost one third (28.6%), which is triple the rate of job growth across the UK economy (9.3%). Furthermore, creative jobs within the North East have grown nine times faster than the average job growth in the region. So, if you’re interested in a career within the creative industries you’ve come to the right place. As the creative industries continues to grow at rapid pace, The Northern School of Art ensures that we have our finger on the pulse to make sure our learners have the best opportunities to develop the skills needed for industry. Many of our learners arrive with different ambitions and aspirations. Some learners know exactly what career they want and the best route to get there, whilst others know they want to do something within the creative industries but they aren’t quite sure exactly what, and a few have no idea what they want to do but they have a need to ‘scratch a creative itch’ if you like. The journey towards employment. We believe the journey towards a creative career is as important as your intended destination. Therefore regardless of any prior knowledge The Northern School of Art has a clearly defined ‘learner journey’ programme which all learners follow whilst studying
This journey often starts prior to learners even enrolling into the School. We have a dedicated recruitment team that work with local schools to promote the creative careers available and the routes to get there. Once enrolled onto a study programme learners will work through a variety of activities to reflect upon their interests whilst learning about alternatives that they may have never considered to ensure the study programme is the correct route for them. Learners will be supported at each stage with advice from our tutors who often have industry experience within their subject area. Learners will log their interests and aspirations as they progress through their study programme. Whilst exploring creative outcomes and building a level of technical skill within their interests, learners will also build upon the important skills that employers desire such as; developing independence, communication skills, working with others and many more. Across the journey learners will also have the opportunity to partake in guest lectures, trips and visits, explore the next level of study / experience Higher Education days and work on live client projects. Activities will be logged in a personal ‘skills for progression’ booklet. What if I study at The Northern School of Art and realise I don’t want a job in the creative industries? Have I wasted my time? Absolutely not. We understand that not every single one of our learners want to progress into a creative career. Learning about what you don’t want to do in your future career is as important as learning about what you would like to do. Many of the skills you develop throughout your time at The Northern School of Art are transferable skills. These may include; problem solving, generating ideas, communicating with others, digital literacy, developing your maths and English skills and many others. Despite the majority of our learners progressing into creative disciplines we have supported learners to successfully achieve alternative destinations such as apprenticeships and studying alternative Higher Education courses.
Rob Kane (Head of Further Education), is The Northern School of Art’s designated Careers Leader. The Northern School of Art’s governor designated to careers education information advice and guidance is Tim Bailey.

Provider Access Statement

The Northern School of Art aims to provide learners with wider knowledge and experiences of progression opportunities from varying sources. We welcome the opportunity to work with providers who will have an inspirational input with our learners, enabling them to explore alternative routes of study and career opportunities. There are a variety of opportunities for providers to integrate with our careers programme. Please contact our careers leader, Rob Kane to discuss opportunities. Rob.Kane@northernart.ac.uk. Click to access our provider access policy.

Careerometer

Keen to know what types of activities and how much you can with a job in the creative industries? Why not use the Careerometer, by searching for a job. The information is up to date ‘labour market information’ (LMI) meaning it gives a good insight into where job prospects are growing across a variety of sectors and what skills are needed within those roles. Give it a go!

Career Websites and Useful links

Browse below for useful websites on career advice, employment areas, application tips and job opportunities.

General Career Websites Get the Jump - View all the different types of work and study choices available to you including; Apprenticeships, T-Levels, Traineeships, Vocational Technical Qualifications, Higher Technical Qualifications, A Levels, Higher Education, Supported Internships and School Leaver schemes nationalcareers.service.gov.uk: -Telephone and online access to Careers Adviser. Discovercreative.careers - Explore creative careers and opportunities startprofile.com - Careers information and links to live vacancies. bbc.co.uk/bitesize/careers - What careers subjects lead to and general advice liketobe.org - Interract with employers and how to vimeos. icould.com - Careers advice, choices and ideas. careerpilot.org.uk - Choices at each stage including provider search. careercamel.com - Careers advice and apprenticeship vacancies. myworldofwork.co.uk/ - Careers and course advice. successatschool.org -explore careers, get the lowdown on top employers, and search for the latest jobs, courses and advice teesvalleycareers.com - Information and videos about local employment opportunities.
Apprenticeships gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship - The main government funded find an apprenticeship service. amazingapprenticeships.com - Information and materials promoting apprenticeships ucas.com - University course information and admission notgoingtouni.co.uk - For apprenticeships, gap years, distance learning and jobs allaboutschoolleavers.co.uk - Apprenticeships, School leavers Programmes and Sponsored Degrees. getmyfirstjob.co.uk - Apprenticeship vacancies

CALLING ALL CREATIVE EMPLOYERS!

PDF Guides

The Tees Valley Combine Authority have some great resources regarding careers opportunities in the area. Click on any of the links below to find out more. Education: teesvalleycareers.com/education Students: teesvalleycareers.com/students Parents: teesvalleycareers.com/parents