Arts Group

Arts Group Chair, Kit Friend, appeared on the BBC last weekend to defend the rights of interns to proper pay and treatment, highlighting specifically the issues with equality and diversity that the current lack of enforcement encourages.

To see the Arts Group’s recommendations on internships read the Emerging Workers Report here

Arts Group Chair Kit Friend presented at the NALN/UKADIA Conference with Skillset’s Gini Stirling around the issue of unpaid internships and their effect on widening participation in the Arts, following on from the Arts Group’s Emerging Workers Report and subsequent discussion with Skillset and others.

Download the pdf of our presentation: “Internships: Counting the cost”

Download the full draft of the Skillset report here: http://www.skillset.org/uploads/pdf/asset_14315.pdf?1

Arts Group Chair, Kit Friend, met with representatives from the Arts Council England, Skillset, Creative & Cultural Skills (CCS) and Skillfast-uk, to discuss progress in the area of graduate internships. With our “Emerging Workers” paper due to launch soon, outlining our proposed direction in this area. We were grateful for the warm reception from these bodies, and look forward to a productive relationship ensuring the broadest possible benefit to those beginning their careers in the Creative Industries, free from exploitation and with an appropriate value attributed to their labour.

Arts Group Chair, Kit Friend, attended the HE Networking Meeting at the Arts Council England (ACE – www.artscouncil.org.uk) to discuss progress to be made around the issues of internships and graduate employment. The draft copy of our Emerging Workers Policy was discussed, and future developments look set to be in the pipeline soon – watch this space!

Kit Friend, Chair of the Arts Group, will be attending the New Deal of the Mind discussion at 11 Downing Street on 24th March to discuss how the creative industries plan to innovate their way out of the recession.