Leading UK theatres unite to boost creative apprenticeship opportunities across sector

We’ve teamed up with Royal Ballet and Opera to develop new apprenticeship standards.

Each new standard is designed to ease skills shortages in the theatre sector and help bolster a new generation of talent for the UK’s creative industries.

Recognising the growing expertise gap in a range of essential technical roles and the drop in arts further education courses in England (Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, 2024), this National Apprenticeship Week (10-16 February) the Royal Ballet and Opera and the National Theatre are working together to deliver new, much-needed early career pathways for the UK’s world-leading live performance industry.

The apprenticeships are based on new standards that we have developed, in collaboration with other theatre, television and film organisations including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Young Vic and more.

Widening the breadth of apprenticeship training in key backstage roles, including wig and makeup technicians, costume performance technicians, and scenic artists, will in-turn give more young people the opportunity to learn hands-on, transferable skills that benefit the UK’s whole creative industry.

The establishment of new apprenticeship standards will encourage skills and job growth by giving workplaces the tools to offer more people access to creative career pathways. Delivering additional apprenticeships also makes a career in the arts more attainable, helping to diversify the future of the industry.

Our Apprenticeships programme which was recently awarded a Princess Royal Training Award in recognition of its impact across the sector, has recruited over 50 apprentices across 17 departments since 2011, with over 90% of those completing their training going into paid professional work.

This forms part of our newly launched Skills Centre which aims to address skills gaps across the sector and widen career pathways, offering resources, specialist training and professional development for over 5,000 people each year.

Each new apprenticeship standard has been created in collaboration with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE), with OCN London, Chichester College, and Creative Alliance playing a critical role in the standards development and delivery.

We will continue to work closely with the Royal Ballet and Opera throughout the year, giving apprentices the chance to gain work experience at two of the UK’s leading cultural institutions.

The National Theatre Skills Centre is supported by CHK Foundation, The Clothworkers’ Company and The Eranda Rothschild Foundation.

Apprenticeships at the National Theatre are supported by Bank of America, Eggardon Trust, The de Laszlo Foundation, The Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation, and The Radcliffe Trust.

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