We’re working with the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) to give young people the opportunity to learn about the world of work first hand from volunteers who work in crafts, conservation and restoration.
Making the Future is our craftiest campaign yet. It aims to break down stereotypes about opportunities in crafts by demonstrating the diversity of some extremely skilled individuals that have successful careers in the sector.
We’re demonstrating to young people that they can be successful in the craft industry, by introducing them to a diverse range of individuals who already are.
We’ll be doing this through both virtual and in-person events where volunteers from stonemasons and taxidermists to weavers and blacksmiths will talk with pupils. They’ll discuss their jobs, the qualifications required and their route from school to where they are now, as well as giving students the opportunity to ask questions.
Exposure within, and access to, the craft sector is becoming increasingly difficult for young people owing to the decline of creative subjects in education, a lack of visible role models in the creative sector and difficulty accessing contacts in the industry. For this reason, many young people are either not aware of the range of creative jobs that exist, or they don’t believe that they have a chance to progress into them.
