Latest news : New advice guide for arts organisations

Internships in the arts offers information on how to develop high-quality, mutually beneficial employment opportunities. 02/12/2011

Created by Arts Council England and Creative & Cultural Skills, the publication suggests characteristics for successful internships such as: having an open, fair and transparent recruitment process; being well-planned and ensuring that they are based on a wider internship and equal opportunities policy.

‘We firmly believe that arts and culture will benefit from the new ideas and perspectives presented by a workforce drawn from all sectors of society. Well-planned, paid internships have a role to play in bringing about this change by helping people from all backgrounds gain experience of working in the arts,’ said Alan Davey, chief executive, Arts Council England .

The guide also suggests that offering meaningful experiences and responsibilities which contribute to the aims of the organisation, as well as paying interns the national minimum wage are important.

‘We have long been committed to opening up entry routes into the creative and cultural industries - the sector can only grow if it has access to the widest pool of talent. 

Through our work in this area developing the first-ever apprenticeships for the creative sector, we realised how reliant the sector is on unpaid labour, how important first-hand work experience is and what the demand is from young people for jobs,’ said Catherine Large, join chief executive of Creative and Cultural Skills .

The Arts Council and Creative & Cultural Skills realise the potential implications for arts and cultural organisations in offering better quality internships.

It is hoped that organisations will endorse these guidelines and commit to providing high-quality and paid internships that open employment opportunities in the arts to all.