Education & Training Archives | Page 2 of 14 | Bristol Creative Industries

Earlier this month, our Performing Arts students took part in a workshop with professional dance company, Ekleido. This was a great opportunity for our students to develop their skills and learn from professionals with their guidance and expertise.

Ekleido is a choreographic duo formed by Hannah Ekholm and Faye Stoeser. Both have an extensive professional background in contemporary dance, street dance, and the commercial industry. Not only do they host workshops for aspiring dancers, but they largely choreograph for live performances and film. The dances they create are meaningful collaborations that are both innovative and modern, focusing on the music and meaning behind each move.

Our Performing Arts course gives students a broad overview of the key components of performing, such as singing, dancing, musical theatre, and acting, providing them with a wide range of skills and knowledge to thrive in such a competitive industry. It is also important to learn from a range of industry professionals to broaden their creative identity and learn alongside contemporary performers.

Hannah and Faye worked hard with our students across two-days, choreographing a dance for them to perform at the Super Culture show on February 19th at the Electric Banana, Weston-super-Mare. In order to maintain the choreography until the performance, two of our Year 2 students, Abi and Emma, have been given leadership roles as Company Manager and Dance Captain to run rehearsals, clean the dance routines and build their skills in these important areas to further prepare them for industry. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to build their confidence, adaptability, and communication skills, ensuring they are equipped with as many skills and opportunities as possible.

Working with external organisations like this gives our students an excellent opportunity to not only learn alongside them, but also receive invaluable feedback, network with professionals, and gain a fresh perspective of new techniques that they may not have been previously exposed to. This broadens students career pathways and gives them a better sense of the careers available to them. It also provides students with exciting collaboration and enrichment opportunities that they can add to their portfolio to reflect the broad experiences they received throughout their course.

Joe Miller, Lecturer in Performing Arts, said: “We’re so grateful to Hannah and Faye for delivering such a well-choreographed and hands-on session, sharing their extensive knowledge and expertise and giving all students the fantastic opportunity to perform for a new audience. It is invaluable sessions like this that give our students first-hand exposure to industry-level techniques, creative processes, and professional expectations, allowing them to push themselves beyond the classroom and achieve an even higher technical standard.”

Thank you to Hannah and Faye for taking the time to engage with our students and share their invaluable insight!

Book your tickets to see our Performing Arts students and Hannah and Faye at the Super Culture production on February 19th here.

This workshop forms part of the Performing Arts Careers Excellence Hub. Weston College’s Career Excellence Hubs are designed to be the launching pad for our learners’ careers. In a world where connections and relevant skills matter more than ever, these hubs offer a holistic approach that prepares learners to thrive in their chosen industries. With the support of these hubs, our learners are well-equipped to make a significant impact in their professional journeys.

Progress to the next level in Performance and Production Arts and Music! At University Centre Weston (UCW) our students give us impressive feedback, with our latest National Student Survey results putting us above average in all nine areas! Find out more about our exceptional teaching, wellbeing services and learning resources by visiting our website. Click here!

If you are passionate about education and are looking for an opportunity to join the staff team at a leading college, then look at the latest job vacancies available at Weston College here. You can find all the latest job opportunities that Weston College has to offer, with a commitment to providing quality education for learners and a focus on continuous professional development for staff, Weston College is an excellent place to work and grow in your career.

Omni Productions has been appointed by AXA to develop a global, video-led workplace training programme to help organisations better support employees affected by domestic and sexual violence.

Built around drama-led films and expert interviews, Safe Spaces translates complex subject matter into accessible training for employees across multiple markets. Omni led the creative development from research and scripting through to production, shaping the narratives to be engaging, human-centred, and effective for global workplace training.

The campaign is built around the Recognise, Respond, Refer (3R) framework, which underpins the films and learning content. Rather than focusing on awareness alone, the programme demonstrates what action looks like in real workplace situations to help employees recognise signs of abuse, respond appropriately and direct people to specialist support.

Omni’s role was to translate that ambition into a campaign that people would engage with. Working closely with AXA’s HR, inclusion and communications teams as a strategic partner, Omni’s brief was to turn a highly sensitive topic into training that is human, practical and ethically produced.

Video and drama-led storytelling was chosen to engage audiences emotionally, helping them understand lived experiences without sensationalism.

All stories, scripts, drama scenarios and supporting interviews were developed through an expert-led process. Omni worked alongside domestic abuse experts, NGOs and survivor-support organisations to ensure accuracy, cultural sensitivity and relevance to workplace contexts.

Sam Hearn, co-founder and managing director at Omni, said: “This type of work sits at the heart of what we do. Safe Spaces shows the power of human storytelling when addressing complex subjects such as domestic and sexual violence. Drama allows people to understand context and connect emotionally, which is essential for a subject like this. Each film was shaped in close collaboration with people with lived experience and sector specialists, whose insights were essential to keep the stories authentic.

As an agency, we aim to create work that truly matters, and our B Corp values guide how we approach sensitive topics to ensure they are both responsible and impactful. Partnering with AXA, we set out to create training that could genuinely change how people recognise and respond to abuse in the workplace.”

Safe Spaces is rolling out globally in phases, with content currently available in 11 languages and further versions in development. The assets integrate into local learning systems, allowing pledged organisations to deliver the training in ways that suit their workforce.

Early engagement on the Safe Spaces platform shows a strong impact, with high numbers of returning visitors. Safe Spaces has already been adopted by organisations beyond AXA, with further companies confirming participation, including L’Oreal, Accor, Engie, LVMH, Orange and Publicis France.

Kirsty Leivers, chief culture, inclusion and diversity officer at AXA, said: “Working with Omni on Safe Spaces has been a collaborative and creative process. From the outset, the team demonstrated a deep understanding of the sensitivity and importance of this subject, approaching every stage with empathy and creativity. The result is a powerful and accessible platform that supports our shared commitment to building more supportive workplaces.”

The project also highlights that human storytelling remains critical in an AI-first era. While automation is reshaping content production, Safe Spaces demonstrates how drama-led video allows employees to connect with real experiences to build empathy and the confidence to act.

Hearn added: “Although AI is changing how content is made, sensitive issues still need human insight and care. Safe Spaces shows how video can make complex topics tangible and actionable, even at a global scale.”

The programme is designed to evolve, with AXA and Omni exploring further developments across 2026, ensuring the training continues to deliver measurable impact across global workplaces.

Tom Bowden-Green, Bristol Creative Industries board director and a senior lecturer in marketing within Bristol Business School at UWE Bristol, shares an update on how we are supporting students to pursue creative sector careers and connecting them to employers looking for talent.

“Ask me what my three priorities are as a board director at Bristol Creative Industries and I tell you education, education, education…” OK, I may have borrowed that from a former prime minister 30 years ago (yes 30 years!), but developing ‘talent’ is one of the reasons BCI exists, and a key pillar in our overall strategy.

We are really lucky in this region to have four great universities, and many wider colleges and schools, supporting the creative sector. Whether you want to employ students and/or graduates, or learn from academics engaged in relevant research, there are plenty of opportunities for greater links between members and educators. So, what does this mean in practice?

Employers supporting students and educators

Number one, we have a database of members who want to support students and educators in the region. This might involve offering mentoring or work experience during holidays, for example, or perhaps providing longer term placements or part time employment.

There are also opportunities to provide more structured support such as talks and guest lectures within established programmes. UWE, for example, has a scheme called Course Connect, linking businesses to specific and relevant modules.

If you’re a BCI member and you’d like to support these efforts, email Alli Nicholas at [email protected]

Bristol Creative Industries student membership

We’re also growing our BCI student membership. It remains free, and we are going to be increasing the specific activity for these members. As well as providing tickets to some of our events, we intend to increase regular communication through a dedicated student newsletter. If you have an opportunity to share with students of any level, we’d be happy to communicate this through the newsletter.

In the longer term, we are also planning a dedicated student conference in early 2027. We’d love volunteers to speak to students about working in the creative industries, plus there are likely to be sponsorship opportunities. Do let us know if either appeals to you. Email Alli Nicholas at [email protected]

So, what kind of students do we envisage working with as we expand student activities? Well, we already have hundreds of student members, many of whom attend university courses in the region. For example, many of you are involved in some aspect of marketing, and there are thousands of marketing students in the region.

However, there are also many students studying broader creative topics relating to TV and film or digital technology for example. Whatever your expertise or niche, there is bound to be a course and a cohort of students who could benefit from your expertise. Many will also be seeking employment in the years to come.

Of course, university education is not the only route into the creative industries. Student membership is therefore open to students at all levels, including those in post-16 education, and those studying courses later in life. Opportunities to engage therefore include post-16 courses, such as apprenticeships, T-levels, and a range of relevant A-level, as well as postgraduate degrees and professional qualifications.

Working with UWE

Beyond working with students directly though, there are many wider benefits of engaging with educators and academics. BCI signed a memorandum of understanding with UWE last year, with an intention to benefit from broader collaboration such as research and knowledge exchange.

BCI has recently supported various Skills Bootcamps for example, including the ‘Broadcast to Branded’ Skills Bootcamp relating to TV and Film production, as well as skills bootcamps in digital marketing and the creative industries.

Whether you’re seeking to attend a bootcamp, or share expertise with learners, there will be many opportunities in the coming months, and probably wider training courses beyond bootcamps. There are also opportunities for research collaboration, including funded Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. If you have a problem requiring an academic mind, just let us know.

On 25 February, we will be hosting our first BCI event at Bristol Business School. This will be a chance to network with academics and others from the creative industries, but also a great opportunity to hear about specific research relating to marketing and psychology. Come along, meet those teaching and researching in this area, ask questions and let us know how we can help you.

The opportunities are broad and varied. I feel a new dawn is breaking, is it not?

Recently, our Level 3 Year 2 TV, Film & Creative Production students immersed themselves in the fast-paced world of live television through this multi-cam event. From planning and scripting, to rehearsing and refining every detail, they worked collaboratively to produce a high-quality project that reflected their creative ideas.

A multi-camera event involves producing or recording a live event using multiple cameras at the same time. This approach captures a variety of angles, such as wide shots, close-ups, and audience reactions which results in a dynamic, polished experience that feels similar to professional television broadcasts.

As part of their recent assessment, students were challenged to operate as a professional production teams and deliver their own 30-minute live TV shows. The result was two fantastic productions: ‘Real or AI’, a thought-provoking programme exploring the boundaries between reality and artificial intelligence, and ‘Film Watch’, a dynamic show for people passionate about film, featuring reviews, insights, and discussions.

This project was a fantastic opportunity for the students to develop their skills within the industry in a hands-on environment but also gain a deeper understanding of the technical demands of live broadcasting.

Not only did it have a positive impact on their professional development, but it also benefitted their personal growth, improving their teamworking skills, problem-solving under pressure, and communication skills by meeting strict deadlines and organising each role within their groups. The students demonstrated creativity, resilience, and professionalism throughout the process.

Aimee Gourlay, Deputy Head of Media, Games & Animation at Weston College, said, “This type of exercise is an excellent way for students to work together and apply their classroom knowledge to a real-world project. It is projects like this that engage our students, teaching them a range of techniques and giving them a glimpse into the diverse roles within the Media. In such a dynamic and growing industry, it is important that students get a taste for the possible career pathways they could consider once they have completed their course.”

Well done to every group involved for getting stuck into this project and producing high-quality work!

This project forms part of the Media and Communications Careers Excellence Hub. Weston College’s Career Excellence Hubs are designed to be the launching pad for our learners’ careers. In a world where connections and relevant skills matter more than ever, these hubs offer a holistic approach that prepares learners to thrive in their chosen industries. With the support of these hubs, our learners are well-equipped to make a significant impact in their professional journeys.

Progress to the next level in Art, Film, Game and Graphic Design! At University Centre Weston (UCW) our students give us impressive feedback, with our latest National Student Survey results putting us above average in all nine areas! Find out more about our exceptional teaching, wellbeing services and learning resources by visiting our website. Click here!

Improve your communication skills in the workplace and beyond. If you’re ready to take your first steps in developing your speaking and presentation skills, this is the perfect place to start.

A 3 hour, live course delivered over 3 consecutive evenings across one week, with BRAVA CEO, Melissa Thom. This course will help you understand the theory and lay down the fundamentals skills and practical techniques you need in order to communicate more effectively, with increased confidence.

This small group class is for anyone who’d like to learn practical tips to help unlock the power of their voice, successfully influence an audience and communicate with confidence.

At BRAVA, all of our training is live and tailored to you. There are no pre-recorded modules and we work with people of all ages and experience levels from 20 yrs+, from a wide range of backgrounds.

Many people are surprised by how much there is to learn and how much they can grow, even in just three sessions.

Weston College recently delivered a highly successful series of online apprenticeship preparation workshops in collaboration with Channel 4, delivered in partnership with their 4Skills team. These sessions were specifically designed to support learners in advance of the Channel 4 Apprenticeship Programme, which is due to launch in January 2026, and to demystify the application and recruitment process for a highly competitive creative employer.

Throughout the workshops, learners gained valuable and practical insight into the Channel 4 recruitment journey. This included guidance on completing high-quality applications, preparing for interviews, and approaching project-based assessment tasks with confidence. Particular emphasis was placed on the importance of values, behaviours, and transferable skills, alongside the attributes Channel 4 seek in aspiring apprentices entering the creative industries.

A key highlight of the sessions was the opportunity for learners to hear directly from current Channel 4 apprentices. Their first-hand experiences provided an authentic and relatable perspective on routes into the organisation, offering honest insights into day-to-day working life, progression opportunities, and what differentiates successful applicants. This peer-to-peer element proved especially impactful in building learner confidence and aspiration.

The positive impact of the workshops has been immediate and tangible. A number of learners have already submitted apprenticeship applications following the sessions, demonstrating increased confidence, motivation, and readiness to progress to the next stage of their career journey.

Overall, this collaboration showcases the strength and effectiveness of our wider Career Excellence employer partnerships and reinforces the value of targeted, employer-led enrichment activity in supporting learner progression into high-profile apprenticeship opportunities. Further collaborative activity with Channel 4 is planned for 2026, ensuring continued engagement and sustained impact for future cohorts.

Even harder in an industry like ours, filled with self-doubt, giant egos, cut-throat competition, and most recently, the threat of an AI revolution. In this industry, opportunities for new talent to get a foot in the door are few and far between.

At Epoch, we believe that opportunities should be giving to everyone, not just to a few privileged people from the “right” schools and/or “right” backgrounds. So, if we see talent, we want to help.

The Academy, as we fondly call it internally, is Epoch’s internship programme. It’s our way of giving back to our community, providing opportunities for the next generation, nurturing both the future superstars of the industry and those who haven’t yet had the opportunity (or luxury) to break into the creative workforce yet.

We do that by maintaining strong relationships with a handful of universities across the UK. These are universities that not only produce incredible talent every academic year, but also align with our values of putting people first and building meaningful bonds.

We start creating these bonds by sending a team out to each one of these universities to spend time with the students, getting to know them on a one-to-one basis, hearing their stories, their ambitions and learning about what drives them. The Epoch Academy Workshop, held in Bristol around springtime, is the cherry on top of this beautiful relationship. It’s a day of celebrating all the talent we found along the way and spending quality time with them creating, brainstorming, conceptualising, and most importantly, having loads of fun together.

The Workshop is also an opportunity for them to bond not only with us but also with other young creatives from different universities, backgrounds and walks of life.

It’s important to say that, as we can’t visit all universities across the country, we also take applications for the Epoch Workshop on our website. We make sure that at least 40% of workshop attendees come from these website applications.

The biggest bond of this journey, however, is created during the internship itself. By then, they know us. They’ve met us in their classrooms, connected with us on LinkedIn, and spent a whole day with us in Bristol. So, when they come through big grey door at 54 Queen Square on their first day, it feels like arriving at a friend’s house.

Across the creative and digital industries, organisations are under constant pressure to deliver more — faster, smarter, and with limited resources. One increasingly valuable and often overlooked solution is hosting a T Level Software Development student on a structured industry placement.

These learners are not observers. They are developing practitioners who can meaningfully contribute to real projects while gaining essential industry experience.

What Is a T Level Software Development Placement?

T Levels are rigorous technical qualifications designed in collaboration with employers. As part of their course, learners complete a substantial industry placement, where they apply their skills in a real working environment.

Year 2 Software Development learners already have a solid technical foundation and are ready to support organisations with practical, hands-on work.

What Value Can a Software Development Learner Add?

A T Level Software Development student from Access Creative College can support your organisation in a range of practical and productive ways, including:

Because these learners are still developing, they bring curiosity, fresh perspectives, and up-to-date technical knowledge — often aligned with current industry tools and workflows.

A Low-Risk Way to Grow Talent

Hosting a T Level learner is not the same as recruiting a full-time employee. Placements are flexible, time-bound, and supported, allowing organisations to benefit from additional capacity without long-term commitment.

What Support Do Employers Receive?

Organisations are not expected to navigate this alone. We at Access Creative College will support employers throughout the placement by:

Learners arrive motivated, prepared, and keen to contribute — with clear learning objectives and guidance already in place.

Shaping the Future of the Digital Workforce

By offering a T Level Software Development placement, organisations play a direct role in shaping the future talent pipeline for the creative and digital industries. It’s an opportunity to influence skills development, support social mobility, and give a young person meaningful industry experience — while gaining real value in return.

If your organisation works with software, digital products, platforms, or technology in any form, a T Level Software Development learner could be a practical, enthusiastic, and valuable addition to your team. If you are interested in finding out more, then please contact Industry Placement Officer [email protected] or 07930274298

The mural industry is an exciting place, and many young artists dream of becoming full-time muralists and creatives. Through our time in the industry, we’ve seen just how strong that ambition is. But we’ve also noticed some major barriers that make it incredibly difficult for upcoming artists to progress.

One of the biggest issues is simple: access to walls. Without physical spaces to paint and gain real experience, artists struggle to build portfolios, prove their credibility, and move from small personal work into professional projects. This lack of opportunity also plays a wider role in the graffiti challenges we see across Bristol, and is a key reason why there are fewer emerging mural artists than there could be.

For businesses looking to hire mural artists, this lack of early opportunity often means fewer emerging professional mural artists to choose from.

The start of a young mural artist’s journey is often unclear. How can you build a portfolio without access to space? Private clients and businesses want to see how you deliver, and want to know that you’re confident working at scale. Without clear experience to back you up, you’re often relying on trust, which can be inconsistent. As a result, many artists turn to the street, finding quiet walls to paint. This helps build practice and confidence, but it doesn’t always translate well on a professional portfolio.

It quickly becomes a loop for new artists. You can’t get projects because you don’t have experience, and you can’t get experience because you can’t get projects. It’s a frustrating place to be, and it takes real grit and effort to escape.

This barrier doesn’t just disappear when you get your first wall either. If you want to go bigger, and work on larger-scale murals, the opportunities become even slimmer. Access remains one of the biggest limits on progression.

There are some ways to break through this that we’ve seen. Some artists use grant funding to incentivise clients to work with them, and there are occasional graffiti festivals that you can pay to enter. But these opportunities take time and effort to find, are often competitive, and rarely offer a clear or consistent route forward.

We’ve realised that you don’t just need to be a good artist to make it into the mural world, you also need to become an entrepreneur. Throughout your journey you often end up needing sales skills, web development skills, marketing, negotiating, and even accounting just to stay afloat. It’s hard enough to be exceptional at your craft, let alone good enough across all of these other areas as well.

That’s why we’ve noticed that many of the artists who do break through aren’t always the most naturally gifted, but they work relentlessly and fully embrace the entrepreneurial side of the journey. Not every artist is willing to cold call, walk into businesses, pitch themselves, and face rejection again and again. You often begin this career for the love of art, and slowly find yourself becoming a struggling salesperson for your own work.

This doesn’t even touch on the level of competition within the industry. Another skill you quickly realise you need is the ability to stand out and find your own lane. That takes time, trial and error, resilience, and business strategy, all alongside trying to stay creatively motivated.

We saw this barrier first-hand while building Art Sync. We knew we had the ability to deliver, but back then we had no portfolio. It took time to secure our first project, and even then, it wasn’t at the scale we originally wanted. But it got our foot in the door, and helped us to start building momentum.

We came into Art Sync with experience in business and sales, so we knew from day one that putting ourselves out there and facing rejection was unavoidable. That background gave us the confidence to approach conversations properly, build trust with clients, and establish a visible online presence from the start.

Most artists aren’t fortunate enough to have experience in these areas, so a lot of the journey becomes learning by doing. From what we’ve seen, one of the most effective ways to get that first experience is through your network. Who do you know with walls? Do you know any business owners? Would your family let you paint a mural? These small opportunities can help build early experience without relying on street work to represent your professional identity.

We’re not just sharing this problem, we’re actively trying to solve it from the inside. By building strong relationships with businesses and institutions, we’re starting to unlock real wall space opportunities and create access where it didn’t exist before. Our latest partnership with UWE and New Wave is beginning to bring some exciting projects to life in early 2026.

We’ll be installing six murals for UWE across Bower Ashton, Frenchay Campus, and their new Kingfisher Court accommodation. Alongside the installations, we’ll be offering students the opportunity to shadow, assist, and take part in design workshops to begin developing real mural skills. The first project will be at Bower Ashton, where students will be involved in the full design process, from concept development through to helping paint the final winning design. This is just the first of several UWE projects that will include learning opportunities.

Alongside this, we’ve also received permission to paint at Skyline Park. We’ll be organising a spray day to give artists open access to a wall where they can experiment, practise, and gain real experience. The aim is to create a space for artists to learn by doing, connect with one another, and build confidence. We plan to offer this as a free experience, removing the financial barrier to entry.

This problem is real, and we genuinely want to help. Of course we care about supporting upcoming artists, but we also believe that by strengthening the mural ecosystem as a whole, we strengthen what we’re building too. Bringing new talent through keeps the industry moving, and keeps our own work evolving.

We’re excited to see where artists go when they’re given real opportunities, real walls, and real experience. If you’re an artist trying to find your way in this space, we see you, and we’re committed to doing what we can to make that path a little clearer to walk.

Whether you’re a business looking to hire mural artists, or an artist searching for real mural opportunities in Bristol, we want to play a part in making those connections happen.

If you’d like to hear about upcoming spray days, student projects, or future opportunities, you can follow our journey on Instagram.

Bristol and the wider region’s creative businesses have a narrow window to access substantial government funding for skills development. This is co-funded employer training. Mastered has secured funding that covers up to 90% of training costs – reducing the typical £4,000 per person investment to just £400 – but all funds must be allocated by mid-December 2025, with training completed by end of March 2026.

Secure your AI springboard for Q1 2026

Government funding cycles operate on strict timelines. Businesses need to register interest and confirm participation before the December deadline. With funding allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, early movers will secure their spots whilst others miss out entirely.

The good news? You’ve got just enough time to get your team’s development sorted before the Christmas break, with training delivered through Q1 2026 when you need it most.

Available to creative businesses in the WEMCA region

This opportunity is specifically available to creative studios and businesses in Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire, and North Somerset through the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (WEMCA) funding partnership.

What’s covered

The programmes are designed for all creative companies — technical directors, heads of production, creative leads, client services and finance teams who need to stay ahead of the curve. Training focuses on real business challenges, including:

What participants receive

Flexible delivery for busy teams

Recognising that creative teams can’t always commit to weekly sessions, Mastered offers flexible formats—from intensive 2-day blocks to spread-out sessions that fit around production schedules. Training can be structured around your Q1 2026 workflow.

“We know Bristol’s studios are juggling ambitious projects whilst navigating new technologies,” commented Perri Lewis, CEO of Mastered.

“This funding window is tight, but it means senior leaders and specialists can access world-class training without the usual cost barriers. The December deadline is real—we’re urging studios to act now rather than miss this year’s allocation entirely.”

How to apply – act before mid-December

The deadline for fund allocation is mid-December 2025, with all training to be completed by 31st March 2026. Funding is allocated first-come, first-served.

Don’t leave this as a “next year” problem. Secure your funding allocation now.

About Mastered

Founded in 2014, Mastered delivers government-funded, industry-focused training that helps senior creative talent stay ahead of the game. We’ve supported over 8,000 professionals across 95+ countries and partnered with 30+ studios to develop the skills their teams need most.

We believe the creative industries deserve better training: accessible, flexible, affordable, and always current. By ensuring talent can thrive, we help studios create better work, build stronger teams, and shape the future of culture, technology, and storytelling.