Training arts workers to deliver education and outreach programmes - Birmingham City Council

Overview

“We set up Flying Start in 2003 after research had shown us that there was a high demand from arts organisations for a diverse pool of well trained arts workers to deliver their education and outreach programmes - but a shortage of training opportunities for artists who wanted to work in this area. We knew we had lots of emerging artists in the City with strong art form skills and we wanted to start an industry based training programme to equip them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to work with schools and communities. We used an off-the-peg programme which was adapted to get the balance of practical and theory work right for our learners. This took a lot of time but was worth the effort as we have ended up with a high quality and award winning product.”

Advice to others?  “Work hard to develop good relationships with other providers in the area and act together to make sure you can refer learners to where the provision is most appropriate. Plan one-to-one support in your programme; it will help you to meet individuals' needs and build vital confidence.”

Pat Dawson, Creative Future Officer, Workforce Development

The good practice in detail

Being an artist and being businesslike are two things that don’t necessarily go together. This good practice example shows how a course that is designed to build business skills and help participants contribute to their community can also be effective in building a sustainable network for information, support and the exchange of good practice. “It is important to give learners the business skills to be able earn a living”, says Pat. “A key aim of the programme is to widen the diversity of artists working in this field and we have been very successful in recruiting a high number from minority ethnic backgrounds.”

Inspectors from Ofsted said of the Flying Start programme in their inspection of Birmingham City Council adult education service:

“Learners benefit considerably from the programme by developing planning and teaching skills. Mentoring, support and, careers guidance for learners are very good and theory and practice are effectively combined. Learners’ employability is greatly increased and the arts industry gains by having a pool of well-trained learning and workshop facilitators.”

The programme benefits both the artists themselves and the communities in which they work. So how does Birmingham City Council Arts Team manage this so effectively? As Pat says, “It’s about finding a programme that meets the key needs and then making it responsive”.

Creating professionalism and building confidence

Originally the course was aimed at graduates but now the demand is from a much wider group. “We’ve had a 40 year old bass guitarist from ‘Steel Pulse’; and a 19 year old who is now running her own dance company. Everyone is from different backgrounds – the artists on the course describe it as being part of a big community!” Originally aimed at performing artists in particular, the course was widened to include artists working in a range of art forms. This breadth of skills and experience and the way in which the course encourages the sharing of experiences and good practice is one of its major strengths.

How do you use the experience your learners bring to your courses?  What activities do you include to ensure that they become a supportive group?

Getting the balance of theory and practical right

For Pat, getting the balance right between theory and practical work is crucial. “The learners we work with are talented performing artists – but they need to know how to use their skills professionally – how to run workshops - their own businesses – and how to make a living from their skills.” The original template for the course was ‘off-the-peg’. It was fundamentally a theoretical programme which was adapted and key practical elements were added. It incorporated some key management skills, including project management and a lot of practical business knowledge.  Ian Nicholson, an ex-student - and now a Birmingham Rep theatre director - knows how important this was: “The course was brilliant in that it taught me to deal with all the tedious and intimidating stuff – accountants, tax, creating invoices – and it provided valuable updating of professional skills. I learnt who to contact and how to manage the practical stuff. Without this course I wouldn’t have my current job.”

Alongside the theory is the practical work. Visiting artists deliver high quality workshops which involve everyone. Learners plan and deliver their own micro workshops and carry out a fifteen day workshop delivery placement with Birmingham Arts organisations where they are mentored. For some learners, like Christopher Jackson, now a street dancer and agency manager, this experience is invaluable.  For others – like Ian – it leads to a job. Pat says, “It’s important not to forget how intimidating first steps such as approaching funders can seem to emerging artists at the start of their careers”. Download details of the Flying Start course programme.

How do you ensure that you cover learners’ future needs as workers and professionals?  What do you do to ensure that work placements are really effective for learners?  How could you improve the balance of theoretical and practical work?

Providing direction and a sense of achievement

Birmingham Council funds the learners on the programme, and that, says Pat, is really important. They start with good creative and performance skills but many are not sure what they want to do. The purpose of the programme is to give them a clear idea of what they can do and then, through practical work and placements, find out what it is they really want to do.

It has worked for Steve Camden, a writer and performance artist: “I didn’t know you could make a living from what I love doing. This course doesn’t tell you what to do; it shows you what can be done. I’ve spent the whole day today rapping with four year olds!” Marlene McKenzie has also found working with children exciting and rewarding. She is an actor who has set up her own theatre company and is working in primary schools. Kim Trusty is a writer who has been working as a writer in residence in a school and she loves it: “I really like working with kids and I’ve applied to do a PGCE.”

The practical focus of the programme is very effective. Sabrina Nolan is a visual artist and a ‘Sure Start’ worker: “It was much better than the three years I spent at university. I needed to be out there and in the community. I’m now doing Sure Start and I love the creative role with families.” The impact of the course is summed up by Antonia Roberts, a visual artist: “It gives you such a great sense of confidence in your own skills.”

What activities in your programme help learners to understand the range of skills they bring with them?  How do you help them build on this and understand how to use their skills in a range of work contexts?

Creating and sustaining networks

One of the key features of the programme is the supportive network which exists not only while learners are on the programme, but after they leave. Pat describes this as “an informal collective; a hub to transmit and circulate information.” Learners who were on the first programme five years ago keep in touch and they create their own networks. “It’s reassuring for those who come on the programme to be part of a network of other artists. They feel part of the arts world.” The networks serve a practical purpose by linking artists, arts organisations and potential employers. And Pat remains at the centre. As Kim says, “She still comes to see what we do. We are excited by each others’ work; the whole thing is a really creative experience.”

Do you do enough to keep in touch with your learners after they leave your programme?  How might a network like this work for your learners and what might be the benefits?

Uploaded - November 2009

What could you do next to improve your provision?

Answering all of the italicised questions in the Q boxes above will help you begin to health-check your current practice. Download all of the linked documents, compare them with your own or adapt them for your own use. Write a short action plan to get you from where you are now (what is good and what needs improving) to where you want to be.

The Building Better Practice (BBP) web resource is a great place to start if you want to benchmark yourself against other providers. It will show you the most common inspection strengths and weaknesses for each issue or topic, an analysis of the good practice found on inspection and a series of health-check questions to help you establish how you compare to others. Look specifically at how you could use BBP to improve your involvement of employers and your external communications.

Actions for Quality Improvement (AQI) is a set of activities with resources around which you can run staff development sessions with your teams. The activities cover all aspects of the learner’s journey and will help your staff embed quality improvement in the heart of your provision.

If you need more help, ideas and resources for the process of self assessment then look at the Learner-Centred Self Assessment (LCSA) materials. This is a web-based or hard-copy resource to help you generate a rich source of evidence for your self-assessment report through professional discussion rather than the completion of lengthy forms.

9 Data Projects to Improve Your Provision is a set of projects which help you use data to explore all aspects of the learner’s journey for improvement themes.

The Self-Assessment Surgery Projects have proved very popular at the Preparing for Inspection events. They will help you determine whether or not your SAR is fit for purpose.

Interpreting the Common Inspection Framework (CIF) is essential guidance on how to interpret the CIF for your remit and is now contained in the appendices of the Ofsted inspection handbook for work-related and adult and community learning.

The Inspection Toolkit contains step-by-step guidance on how to prepare for inspection and covers such topics as choosing the right person to be nominee, using data and self assessment.