Project scope

In the Spring Term 2006, Arts Inform recruited a consortium of 12 performing arts organisations to work together to create a work placement programme for the six schools involved in the pilot Young Apprenticeship Programme.

From work experience to staging a musical

Arts Inform and the consortium designed a work placement programme for 25 students from six Greenwich schools. The work placement programme involved all the students visiting one of the performing arts organisations every Monday during the Summer and Autumn Terms 2006 followed by a take-home task to be carried out in school. This programme of work experience visits prepared the students for establishing their own company and putting on a musical in the Spring Term 2007.

Evaluation and continuing engagement with Greenwich's students

The programme was evaluated and the findings of the evaluation presented at a seminar held in April 2007.

From April – December 2007 Arts Inform continued working on the project, providing a programme of work experience visits for students for the second year running. This programme provided for 24 days of work experience visits over two terms, to twelve different performing arts venues, and culminated in a two day event and theatre visit at Stratford on Avon for Greenwich YAP students. Thereafter the students set up their own company and put on a performance.

The programme continues, using the Arts inform model, and is run independently by Greenwich Borough.