Young people kickstart creative careers with London Borough of Culture internships in Wandsworth

Running from 15 September to 13 March, the London Borough of Culture Internship Programme gives young people aged 18 to 25 the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the creative industries while earning the London Living Wage.

This year’s group of interns includes two care leavers, who will receive tailored support through Wandsworth Council Lifelong Learning’s Full Potential Youth Trailblazer Programme.

They join seven other interns placed with organisations spanning theatre, music, dance, visual arts and community arts. Host organisations include Battersea Arts Centre, a cultural hub in Wandsworth for over 50 years, On Da Beat, a platinum selling, dynamic audio production studio and talent management company, St George’s Hospital Charity, which provides creative activities for the wellbeing of patients, staff and visitors to St George’s University Hospitals Foundation Trust, and many more fantastic local cultural organisations.

The internship scheme supports young people to gain skills in areas like project support and communications while opening access to creative careers and contributing to Wandsworth’s London Borough of Culture year.

Judi Gasser, Cabinet Member for Children, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for young people in Wandsworth to step into the creative industries and gain meaningful paid work experience. We are especially proud to support care leavers to develop their skills confidence and career prospects.”

Libby, London Borough of Culture intern working at Putney Arts Theatre, said: “I signed up to do this internship as I wanted to see if set making and prop building is what interests me. This internship lets me try a lot of different things, kind of all bundled up really neatly in the six months that this internship runs. So, I get a better idea of what I want to be doing in the professional world.”

Shanti, London Borough of Culture intern working at Battersea Arts Centre, said: “I would say in terms of the whole London Borough of Culture internship process, it was it was very well supported. I think a lot of the opportunities that I found previously, were either paid, where you had to pay to go on them or I didn't meet the criteria to be able to get into them. So, I would say this is unique in the sense that that there was a lot of support.”

The internships are coordinated by Wandsworth Council’s Lifelong Learning team, recently rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted, which provides support and guidance as well as individual learning plans for each participant, and Wandsworth’s Arts & Culture Service. Every host organisation has committed to offering high quality development opportunities and experience days for the full intern cohort ensuring a broad understanding of the sector.

The London Borough of Culture Internship Programme will play a central role in building a pipeline of talent for Wandsworth’s cultural organisations and creating lasting pathways into creative careers for local young people.

Welcome to Wandsworth is a year-long celebration of arts and culture in Wandsworth, including high profile events and programmes to support health and wellbeing, bring communities together and nurture the next generation of artists and creatives.

Find out more about Wandsworth’s London Borough of Culture programme.