Project
Creative Pathways
Funding
The programme cost £433,577 between October 2012 and March 2013, mainly funded by Skills Development Scotland (£199,000), Glasgow Council (£128,000) and the Big Lottery Fund (£96,000). The average cost per trainee completing the programme was £4,927.
Background
Creative Pathways, run by Scottish social enterprise Impact Arts, was developed in the light of another scheme run by the organisation. The Fab Pad project helped previously homeless young people maintain new tenancies, by developing the art, design and practical skills they needed to turn their new base into a home.
"We realised that for a lot of young people, once we'd removed the initial barrier of homelessness and they were settled in their new home, they needed support to move on in their lives," recalls Impact Arts' head of delivery, Jay McAllister. "But there were limited opportunities enabling them to do so."
The organisation secured funding from venture philanthropy organisation Inspiring Scotland in 2009 for a Creative Pathways pilot in Glasgow, before rolling it out to other areas of Scotland.
Action
Young people can refer themselves to the programme, or be referred by agencies such as Job Centre Plus, schools or social care. An initial interview assesses their readiness for the programme and whether it is right for them.
The programme currently runs in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Ayrshire, all offering different "creative pathways". In Edinburgh, participants develop theatre skills including set and costume design and performance. In Glasgow, they do product design, alongside retail, fashion, furniture restoration and make-up skills. And in Ayrshire, they embark on a pathway called Urban Green, which involves landscape design. The activities are tailored to the creative industries predominant in each area, to maximise participants' chances of securing employment.
The programme engages young people for four days a week for between 12 and 18 weeks. Around 30 participants work in groups and individually, helped by a lead tutor who oversees the development of their creative skills with further support from "creative assistants".
Participants take on "live commissions", such as creating a set of costumes for an Edinburgh production company, designing a digital banner for a Glasgow conference or transforming a care home garden into a "1940s beach wonderland". "This is real work, there's nothing contrived about it," says McAllister. "That's the part young people like. It's a real job, with real clients."
Young people's skills are assessed before, during and after the programme. The programme manager in each area helps participants prepare for the world of work and overcome personal barriers. And an "opportunities co-ordinator" provides one-to-one support to develop their employability skills and link them to employment, education or training. Participants gain a Scottish Qualifications Authority Level 3 or 4 in employability skills, or a bronze or silver Arts Award.
Outcome
A social impact evaluation of the programme between October 2012 and March 2013, conducted by Social Value Lab, suggests a social return on investment of £5.68 for every £1 spent.
The evaluation, published last year, shows more than three in five out of 131 young participants achieved known positive destinations on leaving the programme. Twenty-three per cent went into further education, 20 per cent into employment, 18 per cent into training, two per cent into volunteering and two per cent into a placement or internship. Six months later, all young people who had been tracked were in education, training, employment or volunteering, with no known cases of unemployment.
Of the 65 young people whose progress was tracked over the programme, 77 per cent showed increased confidence in their own abilities while 72 per cent had increased focus, ambition and entrepreneurial skills and 62 per cent improved work-related disciplines and communication.
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