The creative industries careers event took place across Sheffield City Hall, Sheffield Theatres and the O2 Academy. It attracted over 350 14 -19-year-olds eager to learn about employment and career pathways in the creative industries. Live Nation's Paul Latham introduced the event by talking about how he got into the event industry, followed by talks from BBC Introducing's executive producer Lyndsey Boggis and Stealth Management's James Mountain.
Backstage Academy set up camp in the O2 Academy Sheffield where it aimed to inspire students about the career opportunities on offer in the backstage live events sector. It invited students to hear practical advice from industry professionals on routes into the backstage entertainment sector and what roles there are on offer.
JustFX also treated students to practical demonstrations of different stage pyrotechnics, where they learned how the devices work and how they can be applied to productions.
Said Backstage Academy's Sara Gleadhall, "Engagement with young students is paramount to the continued growth of our creative industries.
"We need to show them that for every performer on stage there are a multitude of roles backstage and that the live event production industry is a thriving one with viable career options in creative, technical and managerial disciplines.
"The Creative Choices event in Sheffield was a great opportunity for us to allow students to be inspired by people at the top of their game and get an insight into the practical application of stage pyrotechnics. We were delighted to be invited to contribute and we aim to deliver more educational sessions in 2014."
The National Skills Academy's Frank Wilkes commented, "The event was arranged to show young people that there are more to careers in music than just as performers. The event was a great success with 360 young people attending.
"We showed a diverse range of backstage roles and really caught the imagination of the young people attending.
"With so many organisations involved, the event also showed how organisations can work in partnership to highlight that Yorkshire is the region to come to undertake training that leads to real jobs."
(Jim Evans)
