Bringing mentoring to Manchester
Creativity shouldn’t be constrained by geography, but right now it is.
However, because 43% of all creative organisations are in London and the South-East, it’s harder to make it in the creative industry if you aren’t from this part of the UK. That is why we are launching our Break the Wall programme in Manchester to prove that talent isn’t confined by the M25 and to make creative careers more accessible to 16-25-year-olds in the North of England.
A billboard from our campaign, Making It In The Creative Industry: A Practical Guide.
The creative industries can be very inaccessible if you don’t understand how they operate, have any experience, or know the right people. Because a huge amount of the creative industries are centred around London, it means opportunities in other locations are more competitive and harder to break into. If you don’t have the financial security to relocate for work, take on unpaid work experience, or even travel for interviews, breaking in can be impossible for people without the privileges some of their peers have.
Whilst Manchester is a hub for creativity in the UK, a report from PEC shows how this is concentrated in key areas in the city centre, Salford Quays with cold spots outside these. In order to promote socioeconomic diversity and social mobility in these cold areas it’s important for creative businesses in Manchester to invest in young local talent to support their career journeys and growth in Manchester.
Break the Wall Manchester
Break the Wall Manchester is the chance for creative organisations and professionals to support local young creatives in their area to help improve socioeconomic diversity in their workplace and the wider industry.
Launching in Autumn 2024, our 16 week programme trains creatives as mentors, improving their skills and knowledge in mentoring, coaching, inclusive leadership and becoming champions for socioeconomic diversity in their businesses and beyond.
We are currently looking for mentors from Manchester and the North to sign up for our first cohort of Break the Wall Manchester to support new creative talent in their area and be part of our journey of breaking the class ceiling in the UK creative industries.
Applications for mentors close June 2024.
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We are looking for anyone in the creative industry to mentor with us, not just people in creative roles. We’ve worked with mentors in strategy, licencing, project management, HR and legal teams, as well as more typical creative roles like copywriting, marketing, content creators, designers and producers.
This helps us support young people with a wide range of skills who want to work in a creative company but don’t know what roles are best for their skills and interests.
All mentors receive 8 hours of training to give them the tools they need to mentor and coach inclusively and understand the specific barriers that impact socioeconomic diversity which their mentees can face.
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Our mentees are all young people aged 16-25 from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
Every mentee who applies is interviewed by Creative Mentor Network or our volunteers to ensure they are right for the programme and understand their interests and skills to find them the best match from our mentors.
Our Outreach Manager works with local schools, education specialists and organisations to reach the young people that need our support the most.
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Our programmes are funded by our mentors and their partner organisations or employees.
Places on Break the Wall Manchester cost £1,195 + VAT per mentor.
Discounts are available for group bookings of 6 or more mentors, and for freelancers.
The programme fees cover all the associated costs for mentor and mentee training, a programme manager to support you over the programme, mentee outreach and event costs. These fees fund our programmes and ensure they are free and accessible for the young creatives we support.
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Complete the form below and we will be in touch with more information about the programme. For general information about Break the Wall, visit our programme page here.
