USW secures funding to nurture creative talent and employability

The University of South Wales has been awarded almost £70,000 of Welsh Government funding to support the growth of Immersed Festival – an annual multimedia event entirely run by Creative Industries students – through a new skills development programme.

Lucy Squire, Head of Music and Drama at USW, is one of the recipients of this year’s Creative Skills Fund, run by Creative Wales, which aims to nurture new and existing talent by training and upskilling individuals across several creative sectors, including screen, music, immersive technology, animation and games.

Now in its second round, the fund has already benefited more than 27,000 people, by providing almost 500 training courses and 435 upskilling placements.

The £69,887 funding will be used to develop a technical and sustainability skills development programme, alongside a research project and creative collaboration with the Future Generations Commissioner, focused on the theme of regeneration.

The project aims to take the existing Immersed Festival to the next stage of its development by bringing together industry, academia and the community, through multidisciplinary partnerships.

These collaborations will contribute to new curriculum content, create networks and build employability skills that can be applied across the music, film, theatre and screen sectors, providing real-world experiences for participants.

The skills development programme will help USW to nurture the pipeline of talent with bespoke projects that support new professionals to meet the skills demand of the creative industries.

Lucy said: “The support from Creative Wales will enable USW to deliver a cutting-edge skills development programme to serve the production and sustainability needs of the creative industries. We are excited to expand the opportunities across Wales and are looking forward to getting started.”

Minister for Creative Industries, Jack Sargeant, said: “The importance of the creative industries to Wales is clear – it doesn’t just create jobs, it is intrinsically linked to our culture, well-being and identity.

“We want a creative sector that reflects and represents its audiences, provides fair and accessible employment opportunities and attracts, develops and retains talent from all backgrounds.”