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The Creative, Culture and Sport sectors across Greater Manchester can lead to some very fulfilling careers. Do you have a dream of creating art? Want to compete with the best in your chosen sport? The Creative, Culture and Sport sectors can both be the culmination of a life’s dream, or a different kind of work that may skew much less corporate, if that’s your thing.
The Creative sector includes any kind of art creation- maybe you could be a self-employed digital artist, or work as an animator as part of a crew of people, or perhaps working as a sculptor for your own projects or perhaps as a part of a team.
The Culture sector includes many roles or jobs that exist in the creation and workings of architecture, archives, museums and libraries, festivals, tangible and intangible cultural heritage, music, literature, and also audiovisual (which would include television, film, video games and multimedia).
The Sports sector includes all manner of jobs within sporting- as an athlete or practitioner, or as someone who works within the industry- coaches, athletic directors, nutritionists, referees or personal trainers, for instance.
Here are some of the typical job opportunities within Creative, Culture and Sport, and how you can make your first steps within the sectors.
Actors use speech, expression and movement to bring characters to life through performances in film, television, and theatre. In some cases, they can also act through voice alone, providing their audio performances for radio, animated content and video games.
Archivists preserve and manage historical and cultural records or artifacts. They also make collections available to both the public or researchers.
Community arts workers help local communities plan and take part in activities like dance, drama, painting and photography.
Video games testers stress test video games that are not yet ready for a commercial audience, analysing and reporting bugs and errors.
The roles above are a very small example of what is available- to find out more, you can see the full list of roles by clicking here.
Fitness instructors organise exercise programmes to improve people’s health, confidence and fitness. This can be applicable to many different sporting practices.
Performance sports scientists use their knowledge of how the body works to help people improve their health or sporting ability.
Looking for other sporting job roles? Click here to learn more.
There are a wide range of Creative and Sporting qualifications and accreditations available to the residents of Greater Manchester. Read on to learn more about what options are open to you.
The skills you may need for each of these sectors is incredibly diverse and reliant on the kind of job you’d be looking for. As a broad guide, see below for the kind of skill set you can expect to rely on- but depending on where you specialise, the priorities of these skills are subject to change.
Skills you can expect to need and use are:
An apprenticeship allows you to “learn while you earn” and can work best for people wanting to try a new career or who feel they are practical learners. A common misconception about apprenticeships is that they are mainly for school leavers- apprenticeships are for people of all ages and are a great way to restart your career, change your career, or progress in your current career.
There are a wide range of adult courses available across Greater Manchester. Many of these courses are fully funded, which means there is no cost to you, or your employer if you are currently employed. These courses have a range of levels, meaning you can boost your skill set, or go for a full qualification in an area that interests you.
If you would like to study for a university-level degree but don’t have the traditional qualifications, Access to Higher Education courses could help you to achieve your goal. There are a variety of resources available to you to help you achieve.
Considering university, or a degree-level course? Higher education is the route you’d be going down- whether you’d be looking to study full-time, or if a more flexible approach would work for you, there are plenty of options available. If you’re looking to increase your skill set, there are a wide variety of options open to you- to learn more about how you can achieve in Greater Manchester.
Whether you are looking to develop in your current role, or looking to take the next steps in your career there is a variety of training and pathways you can consider.
Skills Bootcamps are flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to a guaranteed interview with a local employer.
Developed by the Government as part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee, Skills Bootcamps are being delivered in partnership with employers, providers and local authorities, to help people gain skills for life, help support skills demands in their local area, and ultimately – to help people get a better job.
There are a wide range of adult courses available across Greater Manchester. Many of these
courses are fully funded, which means there is no cost to you, or your employer if you are
currently employed. These courses have a range of levels, meaning you can boost your skill set,
or go for a full qualification in an area that interests you.
The Creative, Culture and Sports sectors are a fast moving and at times competitive industries to get into. Finding your own niche at first and getting paid for it may be slightly more difficult than other sectors, but as this sector centres around your own interests and passions, if you’re someone who wants to be paid to do something they really love, this could be worth it to you.
Progression is much more fluid in this sector, also- once you have the experience, you can move around your chosen field as you’d like.
Learning on the job is one way to go, so considering an apprenticeship might be for you:
Learn more about apprenticeships here.
There are also many courses available to help people start careers in the Creative, Sporting and Culture sectors- with so many technical skills to learn, this sector is as broad as you'd like it to be.
Want to work in Manufacturing or Engineering, but the traditional avenues aren’t for you? There are also a wide range of roles that utilise different skill sets to support you into the industry.
There are many exciting options in the accounting profession as you can work in a variety of industries. Accounting pays well, offers prospects for advancement, and allows you to assist organisations to thrive into the next decade and beyond.
Business administration is a fast-paced job with opportunities to advance and work in a range of sectors and businesses. It’s also a professional route with many transferable skills that may lead to lots of options if you decide to move into another business sector later in life.
HR professionals’ day-to-day responsibilities are to ensure employee wellbeing and happiness. A well-trained and organised HR department is at the heart of any establishment that hires many employees and is essential for maintaining a motivated and productive workforce.
As technology advances, so too do the possibilities for more effective marketing. There’s a variety of professional options to select from, whether you want to get into management, analytics, product design, or brand management to name but a few. With this role, your skills become transferable, allowing you more flexible career options.
As an IT professional, you will develop the skills to support internal and external customers, helping them to be productive by problem-solving and troubleshooting non-routine issues.
The Creative and Sports sectors are vast and can be very rewarding for those who want to work doing what they love. It’s important to find the area you really want to work in, see if it aligns with your passions, and grow from there.
Looking to improve your skills? Search for local courses here.
Looking to find new vacancies? Search for local jobs here.
For more information about gaining these qualifications and get your career started in the sector, visit the National Careers Service website at: nationalcareers.service.gov.uk or call 0800 100 900
