CCSkills decamps to Edinburgh
04/08/2008
Creative & Cultural Skills are decamping to Edinburgh throughout August to promote career development at the world-famous Edinburgh Festival.
Whilst in Edinburgh, the team will be promoting Creative Choices°, the new website designed to help people get in and on in the creative and cultural industries. The pioneering new website is the first user-led online service to provide the tools, knowledge and networks to support every artist, sole trader and business across the creative and cultural industries. Individuals wanting to work in these sectors can explore their skills and discover a range of courses, qualifications and opportunities and research pathways to get where they want to be.
Creative & Cultural Skills will be involved in a number of activities at the Festival Fringe including a presence at the Pleasance Dome where members of the team will be on hand giving information about Creative Choices° and encouraging people to register. We will be taking over an internet café from 11-17 August offering free internet access. We are also sponsoring the Federation of Scottish Theatres and Independent Theatre Council Annual Reception on 21 August and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama final performance and reception on 25 August.
John Stalker, chief executive of Festival City Theatres Trust and a member of the Creative & Cultural Skills board said: “We want everyone who wants to enter the creative industries in and around Edinburgh to come and visit us and find out more about creative-choices.co.uk to help make a more informed choice about where they are going and how to get there. It’s not just for those trying to get into our sectors; it’s for everyone who already is, and wants to develop their career or business further.”
Tom Bewick, chief executive of Creative & Cultural Skills said: “We have made considerable progress in Scotland this past 12 months, with for example, completion of our Creative Blueprint – an action plan for creative and cultural employers and practitioners in Scotland. Our de-campment to the capital during August will further consolidate this work ensuring over 25 Creative & Cultural Skills’ staff are actively engaged on the ground in ensuring our industry-led offer meets distinctive Scottish needs.”
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For more information please contact: Jessica Benson, PR & Marketing Coordinator on: 0207 015 1826/07947 307 948 or email: jessica.benson@ccskills.org.uk
Notes to editors:
- The Creative & Cultural Skills (CCSkills) stand is in the Pleasance Dome from 1-4pm for the whole Fringe Festival (3–25 August 2008). West Bow Internet café is on West Bow, just off Grassmarket in central Edinburgh. The free internet sessions will happen from 10am-11pm for one week from 11–17 August 2008. For more information on Creative Choices visit the website at: www.creative-choices.co.uk
- Creative & Cultural Skills is the sector skills council for the creative and cultural industries. Our remit covers the areas of: advertising, crafts, cultural heritage, design, music, and performing, literary and visual arts: www.ccskills.org.uk.
- Licensed by government in July 2005, Creative & Cultural Skills is one of 25 sector skills councils, known collectively as the Skills for Business Network, to oversee the strategic development of the workforce in our industries and deliver realistic solutions to skills needs.
- Our remit is UK-wide. Wales is represented by Judith Isherwood, Chief Executive of the Wales Millennium Centre. Scotland is represented by John Stalker, Chief Executive of Festival City Theatres Trust. Northern Ireland is represented by Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive of Arts Council Northern Ireland.