Bradford 2025: A Game-Changer for the Youth of the District
Published October 16, 2024
Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture is poised to spark a transformation across the district, using arts and culture as a catalyst for lasting positive change. With a focus on empowering local talent and nurturing a vibrant, sustainable cultural sector, Bradford 2025 is creating new skills and professional opportunities that will leave an enduring impact on the region.
With 34% of Bradford’s population under 25, the city stands out as one of the UK’s youngest. Recognising this, Bradford 2025 is putting young people at the heart of its mission. Bradford 2025 is already making a difference in the district, through its Apprenticeship programme and Youth Panel, and with the newly announced Young Creatives initiative, Bradford 2025 is further cultivating the next generation of leaders and changemakers.
Also launching today is a new Young Person’s members scheme for 16 – 25-year-olds, offering access to discounted tickets, behind the scenes, masterclasses, curated led talks and tours.
Shanaz Gulzar Creative Director and Dan Bates Executive Director of Bradford 2025 state:
“Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture is a once in a lifetime opportunity for our young population to become leaders and changemakers, starting a new chapter in the story of Bradford. Through a range of schemes, we are ensuring a legacy for this pivotal year, addressing the inequalities that our district and sector faces * and providing opportunities for employment, long term and meaningful transferable skills.”
Young Creatives: A Launchpad for Emerging Talent
One of the standout initiatives is ‘Young Creatives’, which will offer paid, 16-month placements to 10 young people from under-represented backgrounds. These placements span various departments within the Bradford 2025 team and partners, including local cultural organisations like the Brontë Parsonage Museum, Dance United Yorkshire and the National Science and Media Museum. In addition to hands-on experience, participants will work toward a Level 4 Professional Diploma in Creative Enterprise, supported by Bradford School of Art.
Apprenticeships: Paving the Way to Creative Careers
Bradford 2025’s apprenticeship programme is designed to equip young people with the tools and qualifications they need to thrive in the creative industries. In collaboration with Access Industry, 9 apprentices will gain vital skills in areas like business administration, multi-channel marketing and cultural learning. These apprenticeships open doors to specialised careers while offering invaluable real-world experience.
Jackson Armstrong, Director of Business Development, Access Industry, said: “We’re proud to collaborate with the Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture team to give young people an opportunity to build exciting careers in creative subjects. 2025 UK City of Culture is a significant moment for Bradford, and we hope that this partnership will lead to more apprenticeships being offered locally, boosting the local economy, filling skills gaps and offering local residents a bright, creative future.”
The Youth Panel: Amplifying Young Voices
The Youth Panel is another cornerstone of Bradford 2025, giving 17 young people from diverse backgrounds a direct say in the future of the district’s cultural scene. From students to care workers and apprentices, these young voices meet regularly with Bradford 2025 to shape key decisions, ensuring that youth perspectives are represented at the highest levels of planning.
Bradford 2025 Youth Pass
The Bradford 2025 Youth Pass will offer discounted tickets and priority booking, masterclasses, workshops, talks, tours and other special events, creating further access to culture within the Bradford 2025 programme for local people between age 16 – 25.
Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture will run from January 2025 to December 2025 and is a celebration of Bradford city and district, taking place across its city, towns, villages and greenspaces. Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture will have a lifelong impact through its reshaping of the local curriculum, skills and training programmes, investment in existing and new creative spaces and open-up opportunities for cultural participation.
More information on Bradford 2025’s learning, training and engagement programmes can be found here.
Sign up to the Bradford 2025 Youth Pass here.
The Young Creatives programme is proudly funded by The Harry and Mary Foundation and The Charles and Elsie Sykes Trust, two Yorkshire-based charitable funders rooted in the Bradford District who share Bradford 2025’s dedication to create life-changing opportunities for Bradford’s youth.
ENDS
*At the last census, Bradford was ranked as the 6th most employment deprived local authority in England, with 13.1% of working age people with no qualifications. A 2024 Creative PEC State of the Nations Report from the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre suggested that 90% of workers in the cultural sector are white and only 20% are disabled.