Members Spotlight: Big Creative Education

Sacha Corcoran MBE, Principal of Big Creative Education, shares how the creative college is developing first-class creative talent who is primed for industry, forging strong pathways with employers in the creative industries, and the exciting horizons of a new education Foundation.

Sacha Corcoran MBE, Principal of Big Creative Education

 

Who are you and what do you do?

We are Big Creative Education (BCE), a creative college for 16-18 year olds. Our ambition is for Big Creative Education to be the number one college for young people entering the creative industries, and for employers their go to for recruiting and working with talented creatives. We develop talent, transform lives and create careers, providing the best progression opportunities into the creative industries for the most diverse students. Those with the best stories to tell and the talent to make real impact.

 

What are you currently working on?

We’ve just celebrated our 10th anniversary and have launched a new five year strategy. We are preparing for our new intake of young creatives and ensuring our students who will be graduating next year will be ready for employment through the courses we teach. Our dedicated classes on wellbeing and careers education will also ensure our students not only develop their creative practice, but they also develop their socio-emotional skills and self-management skills alongside. Knowing the vast majority of our students will become freelancers at some point in their careers, we also teach them financial literacy and how to set up their own businesses to become the employers of the future.

 

What has been your organisation’s proudest achievement?

We had a student reunion this year and we’re incredibly proud to see our former learners working together in the sector. As we only offer creative courses, students naturally create their own networks that they take out into the world and this is what students tell us is what they value most at BCE. It’s hanging out with like-minded creatives bouncing ideas around the common room, and those relationships that continue long into their professional creative practice. It was amazing to hear our alumni who are now directors casting other alumni who are actors, designers collaborating with photographers and musicians. We’re very pleased that 70% of our students remain in the creative industries after finishing their courses with us.

Oh, and we’re Ofsted Outstanding, by the way!

 

How is your organisation working to champion EDI within your sector?

There’s so much! The majority of our students are from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds, as are the majority of staff, so EDI is in the bones of our Academy. We have EDI performances throughout the year – for Black History Month, Mental Health Awareness and PRIDE – all led by our learner reps. We put out some images from our recent multicultural event and employers got in touch with us, wanting to work together. They can see young people having a fantastic time and know that their creativity will be flowing! We, through our EDI work, champion the young activist, the positive disruptors, and encourage our students to be agents of change.

We’ve got a case study coming out in Creative UK’s EDI resource if anyone wants to know more – watch this space!

 

What are three things you’re loving in your sector right now?

Loving the goodwill in the creative sector right now, with industry embracing diversity, and understanding both the moral and economic imperative.

Loving the possibilities of AI, and it would be great for employers to let us know what you want us to teach young people. What would you expect a young person to know, coming into an entry-level position? We’ve designed a short survey for employers to complete.

Loving that the creative industries are a priority sector for investment in the government’s industrial strategy.

 

And three things you’re not loving so much in your sector?

Entries for creative subjects are declining at both GCSE and post-16 qualifications. We want to see creative arts have a more prominent place in the national curriculum. This has to be recognised in the forthcoming curriculum review otherwise the industrial strategy and sector plan won’t happen.

Too much reliance on graduate employment – employment for entry level roles has to be democratised.

Government tinkering on post-16 qualifications. We have a suite of qualifications at present ensuring that students are not falling by the wayside and becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) and we want to preserve this. Some reform is welcome, however, the government need to listen. The Sixth Form Colleges Association are doing a great job advocating this in their Protect Student Choice campaign which I would encourage people to look at.

 

Who would be your dream collaborator/collaboration?

We want to work with and collaborate with employers from across the sector, both big and small who share our desire to make a real change in how the sector recruits and who they recruit. A collaboration with a company who really wants to champion EDI and wants to work with us to provide opportunities for our amazing young people at BCE. There are lots of ways we can do this which benefit both employers and our students. Our students are your talent pipelines, lets us help you to diversify you workforce. We’ve done lots of successful collaborations for entry level jobs – with Mother London, ITN, Diverse Futures – and we’re setting up more partnerships. We are embracing employers with “no graduate” policies for apprenticeships. We have a lovely project we do with BuildHollywood every year where students are given an industry brief – to create a piece of work with a message – and the best pieces are put on billboards around London. It’s incredible for a young person to see their work in public and has such an impact.

 

What does creativity mean to you?

Creativity is about authenticity, encouraging self-expression which, in turn provides spaces where inclusivity is celebrated. At BCE I’ve done my very best to create a culture where young people feel safe, staff’s wellbeing is prioritised and creatives are celebrated. It is this very culture exposing young creatives to talented professionals, that produces the most amazing creative collaboration between experienced practitioners and the next generation of young creatives. Breaking down barriers, challenging stereotypes and pushing boundaries, that is what creativity at BCE looks like.

 

What’s next for your organisation?

We are establishing a new education Foundation to encourage more youngsters to study in the creative arts, and build sustainable careers. We want to create a Saturday School and holiday programmes for children to celebrate their culture, explore creativity and break down the barriers to young people who wish to access a creative education. We would also like to help our graduating students thrive in the creative industries by offering business start-up grants and mentoring, maybe even run our own creative agency for young people to build their portfolios.

The Big Creative Education Foundation is coming and we are actively looking for board members, so do reach out to us if you would like to know more!

 

What do you think needs to change in the UK’s Cultural and Creative Industries?

I find it such a shame that creative is the top industry choice for young people aged 14-18, yet there are skills shortages in the sector. That proves to me young people are experiencing barriers in getting into the creative industries. The sector needs to be recognised as the amazing powerhouse it is and how much we value the arts as a society. Creative UK’s piece on the perception of the creative industries shows we have work to do here and we’re up for the challenge. As a college, BCE has a mission to celebrate diverse, creative practice and our young people are a creative force to be championed and embraced. The future of the creative industries is dependant on new, home grown, diverse talent – the sector must come together with educators to shape tomorrow’s workforce and together we can affect change.