Creative Production & Technical Skills Project Production & Technical Placement Bursary Introduction The Creative Production and Technical Skills (CPTS) project is a partnership between Creative & Cultural Skills, the Federation of Scottish Theatre and the Scottish Drama Training Network. Its purpose is to develop technical and production training, skills and career progression for the performing arts, live events and wider creative industries in Scotland. The CPTS project has four key strands; a schools engagement programme, a programme aimed at further and higher education students; a series of supported apprenticeships and the continuing professional development programme. It is the CPD element that the FST is leading and it is this strand of the project which is responsible for the Production and Technical Placement Bursary. The CPTS Project has designated funding to assist with the professional development of recent (having left formal education less than 2 years ago) technical and production graduates of both further education and higher education. The bursary is designed to allow professional organisations to host placement opportunities with the aim of developing the graduate’s career progression through experience in the workplace. The placement should offer the graduate the opportunity to develop the necessary skills and contacts to undertake further work, providing a bridge from formal training to professional employment. Programme The Production and Technical Placement Bursary offers host organisations 85% funding to engage graduates in a programme of work for up to 12 weeks. As a host organisation, you must design a viable programme of work and learning within your current operations which will allow a graduate to integrate within the professional environment. They should carry out a sustainable role while being supervised by members of staff. The FST does not hold a list of graduates interested in placements; it will be part of the host organisation’s responsibility to source and recruit a suitable candidate. There is a project specification below which outlines the key elements that we seek from potential applications. The placement may run for a minimum of 3 and maximum of 12 weeks full time equivalent. Please note that typically awards are for 6-9 weeks but applications for up to 12 weeks will be considered where there is a strong rationale for this amount of time. Please note individuals may only receive one award and should not apply again. CPTS Production & Technical Bursary 2013/14 Graduates may work in more than one role/department for the duration of their placement. Weeks should run consecutively. Your placement may begin at any time after you have received confirmation that your application was successful and you have recruited a suitable candidate. Application Process If you are successful in your application to be a host, we would expect you to advertise the placement on your company’s website, on the FST website, the Creative Choices ‘Jobs & Opportunities’ Section (details below) and any other channels you may choose. We would also expect you to apply your equal opportunities policy in managing the recruitment of this role. Criteria for the successful graduate (which should be included in your person specification): They must have completed their formal education in a technical or production skills subject at FE or HE level They should have graduated from a Scottish institution OR if elsewhere, they are now based in Scotland and committed to Scottish theatre They must have graduated less than 2 years from the start date of the proposed placement How to Apply Please submit your proposal to the FST for consideration. The proposal should be a written application in the form of a formal job title, job description and person specification for the proposed role as well as a short statement supporting your proposal. The proposal should demonstrate/include: Evidence of the host’s commitment to Scottish theatre A strong reasoning for the placement with reference to how the host and graduate will benefit from the experience A clear outline of how the placement will work within the operations of the host company An brief outline of the roles and responsibilities for the host company and for the graduate A clear outline of what the graduate will be expected to achieve and learn from the placement and how they will be supported during their time with the host company A brief timeline for both the recruitment process and the placement, detailing when you propose to begin the placement and how long it will last (this is flexible and can be amended, however proposed placements should not start within 4 weeks of the closing date) Selection Process The bursary has a rolling application process with no fixed deadline. Currently, we are able to support placements taking place up until December 2016. Please be aware that we have CPTS Production & Technical Bursary 2013/14 a limited budget to cover the Production and Technical placements. If you wish to propose a placement for late next year, we recommend you submit your proposal as soon as possible. Proposals will be reviewed by a panel of industry and education professionals and evaluated against the criteria above. Please allow at least 2 weeks for your proposal to be considered. We welcome applications from a range of host companies offering different and varied opportunities. Funding A fixed sum of £350 per week* (tax free) will be paid to the successful graduate. Host companies are required to make a commitment to contribute 15% (£52.50) of the total bursary per week, for every week of the placement. When you have completed your recruitment, you will be invoiced for the total contribution for the duration of the placement. The total weekly amount will then be paid directly to the graduate by FST on behalf of CPTS. As the host, you will be responsible for any travel or accommodation expenses incurred by your graduate, as well overtime payments for any additional hours they work in the course of their placement. This is an educational bursary and is therefore tax free. (*this figure is comparable to Equity/BECTU/TMA minimum rates after tax) Monitoring and Evaluation At the end of your placement, we would encourage hosts to give us feedback about their experience. We also encourage graduates to comment on their time with the host company. Advertising your Placement & the Creative Choices Website The Creative Choices website is an online resource for people working in and wanting a career in the creative industries. It is a hub of useful advice and support and an effective platform to advertise training, jobs and learning opportunities. We are encouraging training providers and placement hosts to use this site to post relevant jobs, placement details and opportunities. It is free to use and is seen by almost 1.5 million people a year across the creative industries. Go to http://www.creative-choices.co.uk/jobs-opportunities for more information. Crediting & Branding CPTS Production & Technical Bursary 2013/14 This bursary is made available through the Creative Production & Technical Skills Project. Please include the CPTS logo on any job adverts that are created for supported placements and use this logo when posting details to the Creative Choices website. We would also ask that the logo be used in the production programme of any piece worked on by the graduate, with the line “supported by the Creative Production & Technical Skills Project” after their name. Application Please send your completed proposal to emma.beatt@scottishtheatre.org Please note that you should receive an email to acknowledge receipt of your proposal. If you do not receive this, please contact the FST office. To download the CPTS logo, please go to: http://www.scottishtheatres.com/creative_production_and_technical_skills.php If you have any queries and for more information please contact us on 0131 248 4842 CPTS Production & Technical Bursary 2013/14