Creative & Cultural Skills is an industry-led body, set up to close the divide between the worlds of education and employment. Its board of Trustees and advisory panels are drawn from the leaders of the industries they serve - including advertising, design, cultural heritage and music as well as the arts. Licensed by the government in 2005 as the Sector Skills Council for the creative and cultural industries, the organisation has developed a range of programmes to make sure our world-class stages are served by the world's best-trained people.

Careers information, advice and guidance

Did you know that of the 80,000 working in the performing arts, only around 30% are actually performers? The show must go on and putting it there requires the skills of a wide range of professionals - technicians, stage managers, directors, choreographers, wardrobe, props, administrators and accountants to name but a few.

The commercial growth and creative success of our performing arts mean some of these skills are in short supply. But where do you go for sound advice on which route to take to your chosen career? It's a complex, highly specialised arena and school or college careers advisers can't be expected to have all the answers. That's where Creative & Cultural Skills comes in.

The organisation will soon be launching a comprehensive online careers advice and guidance portal covering all its industries, including the performing arts. It'll include detailed information on courses and qualifications, stories of people who've been there and done it, and latest intelligence on industry developments affecting skills employers will demand in future. It's also designed for established arts professionals looking to develop their careers, move into senior positions or branch out in new directions. Keep an eye on the website for further news.

Apprenticeships

You don't have to have a degree to work in the performing arts - in fact only one in three people in the business went to university. While budding performers will often get their start by studying at drama or dance school, many occupations - especially backstage and technical roles - require practical skills rather than academic qualifications.

The Creative Apprenticeship is a new and alternative entry route to a range of careers across the creative and cultural industries. From 2008, young people from 16 to 24 years of age UK-wide will have the chance to mix formal learning with paid work experience that will equip them with real skills that employers value. The Creative Apprenticeship recognises that academic prowess and creative talent or technical ability don't always go together. It's also for people who, for economic or social reasons, simply can't afford to spend three years at college. Apprenticeships have been developed in five key areas including:

Technical Theatre

Cultural Venue Administration

Music Business

Community Arts and Education

Finance for Creative Organisations

The concept has already been tested in prototype schemes involving leading employers such as Sage Gateshead, EMI and Universal Music Group. The national roll-out during 2008 will extend opportunities to join the creative and cultural industries to a new and more diverse group of young people. The Creative Apprenticeship will be the first and only government-recognised and publicly funded apprenticeship scheme for the creative and cultural industries.

Young Apprenticeships

The Young Apprenticeship (YA) programme is for 14-16 year-olds - it is not an entitlement but an initiative that schools can choose to be a part of. It is for young people with a clear talent and keen interest in performing arts and art and design who wish to gain an additional qualification in the subject and some industry experience (50 days over 2 years). YAs allow you to specialise at a young age and they're a good foundation for moving on to further vocational education such as a Creative Apprenticeship or to university.

National Skills Academy

In October 2006, the government gave Creative & Cultural Skills initial approval to develop a National Skills Academy for offstage and technical staff in live music and theatre in England. It's been designed to address the growing shortage of trained and qualified support staff across both industries. Official forecasts suggest that 30,000 new skilled workers will be needed over the next decade.

The Skills Academy will put employers in charge of the training: what is taught, where it's delivered and how. It'll be a nationwide training network with regional 'spokes' linking industry with colleges and other training providers. A central administrative 'hub' and specialist training centre will be built in the Thames Gateway east of London, sharing a site with the proposed Royal Opera House production campus.

As well as preparing new entrants for their first jobs, the Skills Academy will assess and accredit the skills of experienced but unqualified staff and assist with their career development.

For more information on any of these projects, or the wider work of Creative & Cultural Skills and how to get involved, please visit www.ccskills.org.uk.