Factory International has announced the latest round of Factory Academy training courses in the crucial skills needed to develop careers in the creative and cultural industries as a new report is published outlining the programme’s impact to date.
The award-winning training programme was established to address skills shortages and diversify the workforce in an increasingly important sector for the region – annually, the creative industries are worth more than £100 billion to the economy. With all courses free to participants, a key focus is ensuring creative skills and opportunities are accessible to all, enabling local people of all backgrounds to develop careers without having to leave the region.
Over 1000 Greater Manchester residents have since graduated from Factory Academy courses, before going on to employment or to fulfil a range of personal and professional goals. These include securing funding to realise creative projects, gaining their first producing credits, kickstarting freelance stage management careers, and securing employment at organisations across the region including Co-op Live, Science and Industry Museum, Rio Ferdinand Foundation, Manchester Youth Zone and Odd Arts.
Working with a consortium of cultural and creative organisations, courses are developed with industry experts with specialist knowledge and experience from a range of sectors – from event managers, musicians, and teachers to production managers and technicians.
Last year’s opening of Aviva Studios, the world class new home of Factory International, has provided trainees with an unparalleled learning environment to develop skills and experience alongside professionals at the top of their field. Earlier this year a full-time Technical Trainer was employed to deliver venue-based training, providing a vital pipeline for technical roles at a range of levels at Aviva Studios and across the region.
Upcoming Factory Academy courses beginning in September include:
Event Ready: Accelerated Training for Theatre and Venue Technicians (30 Sep – 18 Oct 2024) – a 15-day full-time course, open to anyone aged 19+, which delivers a comprehensive curriculum that equips students with the essential skills, knowledge and hands-on experience needed to propel them towards a career in the performance events industry. This September marks the third iteration of the Event Ready course and a fourth round will also be running from 25 November 2024.
Foundations In: Business X Creativity (23 Sep – 13 Dec 2024) – a brand-new, part-time course designed to provide creatives and artists from a range of disciplines with the fundamental entrepreneurial skills needed to power up their creative business.
Managing Creative Projects (17 Sep – 18 Oct 2024) – a full-time course which gives students the project management tools to define, develop and deliver a brief to make their vision a reality. This course has been a regular feature of the Factory Academy offering for the past few years and alumni from the programme have gone on to utilise the skills learned to grow arts and culture projects such as Altrincham Arts Festival and Withington Pride. Applications for Managing Creative Projects are closed as the September edition of the course is fully booked but keep an eye out for future iterations!
Factory Academy x HEADS: Creative Content (17 Sep – 18 Oct 2024) – delves into creative processes and project management. The part-time course combines creative agency HEADS’ expertise in brand activations, collaborations and community building with Factory Academy’s proven track record in creative education. From communication and camera work to editing and event production, this is a newly devised, comprehensive A–Z course for individuals aged 16 to 18 based in Greater Manchester, who are not currently in education, employment or training. A second intake of this programme will also be running from the 11 November with applications opening in October.
John McGrath, Artistic Director & Chief Executive, Factory International says:
“From the moment our new home was first dreamed up, the belief that this ambitious new cultural space 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, and it is essential that the widest possible range of Manchester citizens benefit not only from its creative offer, but from the wider economic growth for which it is a catalyst.”
