Bradford 2025’s Head of Engagement – Skills and Volunteering, John McMahon, discusses the transformational programmes for young people being launched this month.

Bradford is the UK’s youngest city, and – as proved in their involvement in the bid for the UK City of Culture – there is so much talent, drive, and passion in our young people. It’s equally essential to us that they are at the heart of our planning throughout 2024, in the countdown to Bradford 2025.

We want to ensure that young people are equipped with the right skills to kick-start their careers. That’s why we’re launching a range of youth voice, apprenticeship, and wider training roles across the Bradford 2025 team; with the ambition to create a new generation of cultural leaders in Bradford, for Bradford.

This January, we’re launching the Young Creatives programme, supported by the Harry & Mary Foundation. This will be open to under 25s in the district, and will enable young people to launch their creative careers; work with experts and leaders in the cultural world; the programme will be delivered through Bradford College and Bradford School of Art.

In addition to this, this month we recruited our Youth Panel – a dedicated forum for young people to shape, plan and work behind the scenes on how we make the Year of Culture happen. Those on the Youth Panel will attend skills-based masterclasses and workshops lead by creative professionals, which will enhance their professional development and future careers.

Finally, we are also looking for apprentices to join us on the Bradford 2025 journey. We want to enhance skills and training opportunities across the district; these apprenticeships will equip Bradford’s young people with vital skills in their chosen fields, forming the foundation of their life-long employability.  Apprenticeship opportunities will be available across the team, and we are launching 5 this month.  

These are life-changing opportunities for our city’s young people, all of whom are at an age where they’re having to make big decisions about their futures. Bradford 2025 is passionate about -boosting young people’s careers to create a generation of confident, skilled, experienced, and homegrown cultural professionals.