Employability

Arts Participation for Employability programme (ArtsPEP):

In 2004, the Community & Education Company initiated a ground-breaking project to pilot the use of arts to raise employability levels amongst some of the city’s hardest to reach groups. The pilot was conducted with key partners, including the City Council Client Support Unit, National Probation Service, CSWP Connexions and Warwickshire County Council.

Key successes for the theatre include a partnership with Exeter University to develop and pilot an award in employability and personal effectiveness using the arts as a tool. This has resulted in the Supporting Employability and Personal Effectiveness (SEPE) Award, one of a Work Skills cache of short awards from Edexcel.

The Belgrade also developed the highly successful Fusion programme, which brings together more conventional employability provision with arts delivery in work with adults on incapacity benefit, and young people Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEETs) respectively.

The approach has been mainstreamed in a number of organisations/programmes, and opportunities continue to be sought to build on the project’s considerable successes.

Organisations or individuals wishing to get involved in the work of the C&E Company should contact them on 024 7684 6741 or communityadmin@belgrade.co.uk