We helped to coordinate the Grand Futures Cultural Exchange for two great years with students from Leeds City Academy. The Grand Futures network is a collaboration between major arts organisations in Leeds to deliver exciting and eye-opening work experience opportunities to young people across the city. Recognising that the arts can often seem inaccessible and that many opportunities within it are unknown, they hope to spotlight all the varied creative careers that make great art happen.

The focus of the programme was on non-performance based careers available in the arts and culture sector. Students were able to go around prominent cultural organisations in such as ITV, Leeds Museums and Galleries, Leeds City College, Leeds Heritage Theatres, The Thackray Medical Museum, Channel 4, Leeds Playhouse and Northern Ballet and explored a range of job roles including curating, programming, technical theatre and lighting design, script writing and costume design.

We are encouraging more schools to get involved with this brilliant programme. If you would like to find out more, please contact Catherine Hayward at Leeds Heritage Theatres [email protected].