Creative careers are often underrepresented or seen as inaccessible. This session explores how collaboration between education and industry can open pathways and create meaningful opportunities for young people.
Creativity is increasingly recognised as one of the most important skills for future employment. As workplaces evolve through advances in technology, changing business needs and new ways of working, employers are looking for individuals who can think creatively, solve problems, adapt to change and generate innovative ideas.
This interactive workshop is designed for both employers and Careers Leaders who play a key role in supporting young people as they prepare for the world of work. The session will explore why creative skills matter across all sectors, not just within the creative industries, and how these skills contribute to employability, productivity and workforce development.
Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the value of creativity in the workplace, how young people develop creative skills through both formal and informal experiences, and how these skills can be recognised and promoted throughout career development activities. The workshop will also provide practical guidance on helping young people articulate their creative experiences and transferable skills in applications, CVs and interviews.
By the end of the workshop, participants will:
- Understand how to effectively signpost and support young people interested in creative careers and creative career pathways.
- Increase their understanding of why creative skills matter in the workplace and how they contribute to employability, innovation and business success.
- Feel empowered to encourage young people to showcase their creative pursuits and transferable skills in career-focused settings, including applications, CVs and interviews.
Meet your Workshop Facilitators
Kate Parry MBE
Kate has worked in range of roles and venues across the Cumbrian culture sector for almost 30 years, including as Head of Partnership for Cumbria Museum Consortium and as CEO of Kirkgate Arts in Cockermouth.
She is now Director of Cumbria Arts & Culture Network (CACN), a not-for-profit company that connects, champions and develops the county’s cultural sector. CACN is funded to deliver the See It To Be It project that unites arts and heritage organisations in supporting more young Cumbrians into creative careers.
In her spare time she is involved in running locals festivals and plays the bassoon.
Dr Tenley Martin
Tenley is an applied ethnomusicologist, percussionist, and Senior Lecturer in Music at Leeds Beckett University. Her research explores how participatory music-making can support wellbeing, social cohesion, and active citizenship in community contexts.
She leads Cohesive Harmonies, an applied research programme that develops music-based initiatives in partnership with public and third-sector organisations to address issues such as community cohesion, education, and mental health.
Tenley teaches popular music performance, ethnomusicology, and arts and social engagement, and supervises interdisciplinary PhD research in areas including community music, disability, and participatory practice. She received her PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of Leeds in 2016 and is the author of Transnational Flamenco: Exchange and the Individual in British and Spanish Flamenco Culture (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020).
Her research has led to collaborations with organisations across the UK and internationally, including Dorset Music Service, SoundWave (West Cumbria), SoundAbout, and the international NGO Musicians Without Borders. Alongside her academic work, Tenley is a freelance percussionist with a particular interest in culturally significant and unusual musical instruments.
Charlotte Kelly
Charlotte is a Social Value Lead for AtkinsRéalis. Her work spans the co-ordination of social value activities across Cumbria and AtkinsRéalis’ Decommissioning Market, working with colleagues to embed social responsibility into projects.
Charlotte also runs the work experience programme at AtkinsRéalis’ Whitehaven office, working alongside technical disciplines to curate meaningful experiences for local year 10 & 12 students.
In additional to her professional title Charlotte also peruses a passion in Music, Arts and Culture, having played in local orchestras and ran a youth-led armature Theatre Group in her teens and more recently participating in music offers from registered charity Sound Wave.
With over 10 years of working in Cumbria’s Nuclear supply chain, Charlottes unique position of being creatively inclined, whilst working with both “Big Business” and local communities gives her the perspective to comment on employability, what makes an effective work experience encounter and how Arts & Culture can be the key to unlocking students potential.
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