For more information, Press release — Embargoed until Wed 23 September 2020 images, quotes and interview requests please contact: MIF LAUNCHES NEW SKILLS & TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOUSANDS OF UNEMPLOYED YOUNG PEOPLE Emma Robertson Press & PR Manager +44 (0)7813 521104 As work progresses on The Factory, ’s world-class arts space, [email protected] Manchester International Festival (MIF) has today announced Factory Futures – a new skills and training programme which is set to benefit up to 10,000 unemployed Jamie-leigh Hargreaves young people living in over the next five years. Senior Press Officer +44 (0)7534 492 118 [email protected] It is part of the Factory Academy, which was launched by MIF in 2018, in partnership with a consortium of cultural organisations in the city. The aim is to Oscar Lister diversify the workforce in an important sector for the region - annually, the creative Press Officer +44 (0) 7494 688523 industries are worth more than £100 billion to the economy. [email protected] Factory Futures responds directly to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mif.co.uk youth unemployment and has been designed to align to the Government’s recently announced Kickstart scheme. Over the next five years it will see 1,400 young

people, aged 19-24, who are unemployed or on Universal Credit, take part in a Page 1 range of pre-employment training programmes including training academies, work experience programmes, traineeships and paid internships. Thousands more will

benefit from further learning and engagement opportunities including online learning, masterclasses, open days and workshops.

Over the next year, opportunities for 140 young people will start with a two-week creative training academy in October which will provide key digital skills, behind-

the-scenes insights, and guidance from industry experts. In January 2021, ten young people will have the chance to undertake a six-month paid internship with MIF in roles such as Sponsorship, Press, Producing, Marketing, Operations,

Creative Engagement and Artist Liaison. Further opportunities will include traineeship and work experience programmes.

Around 60 young people have already benefited from the Factory Academy, including five apprenticeships delivered in partnership with Royal Exchange

Theatre, Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), HOME and . Through principal contractor Laing O’Rourke and their supply chain, The Factory is also creating up to 50 construction apprenticeships. In addition, once The Factory

opens, it is projected to generate as many as 1,500 direct and indirect jobs for the city.

John McGrath, Artistic Director and Chief Executive at MIF and The Factory said: “We’re putting skills and training opportunities at the heart of The Factory. Through

The Factory Academy, young people from Manchester and the city region are already gaining valuable experience as an entry point for the creative industries, which are an increasingly important part of our city’s economy. Over the next five

years we’re creating thousands of new training opportunities – including roles as part of the MIF team as we prepare for next year’s Festival.” Page 1 of 3

Councillor Luthfur Rahman, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure, and Skills, For more information, , said: "Our young people are key to the ambitions we images, quotes and have for Manchester and also for its recovery from this pandemic. It's vital that we interview requests invest in them not only to give them the best chance of success and fulfilment in please contact: their own lives, but also to help shape and secure the future success of the city."

Emma Robertson Press & PR Manager Jocelyne Underwood, Skills and Training Director at MIF, said: “It’s vitally +44 (0)7813 521104 important that the creative sector invests in the talent of tomorrow. We’re working [email protected] together with organisations across the region and beyond to develop a wide range

Jamie-leigh Hargreaves of employer led training, learning and skills development opportunities in order to Senior Press Officer open the sector up to the widest pool of talent, regardless of their background and +44 (0)7534 492 118 education. With The Factory Academy we also want to equip young people with [email protected] skills that will be useful as the economy recovers.”

Oscar Lister Press Officer The Factory Academy is backed by the Greater Manchester Cultural Skills +44 (0) 7494 688523 Consortium which includes Brighter Sounds, Contact, HOME, Manchester Art [email protected] Gallery, , Manchester Metropolitan University, mif.co.uk , Manchester International Festival (MIF), Octagon Theatre Bolton, Oldham Coliseum Opera House, Palace Theatre, People's History Museum, Royal Exchange Theatre, Royal Northern College of Music, Science and

Page 1 History Museum, The Lowry, Walk the Plank and Z-Arts.

At 13,300 square metres, The Factory is a world-class cultural space being developed in the centre of Manchester, which will commission and present the world’s most exciting artists, attracting up to 850,000 visitors a year, from across

the city, the UK and internationally. Its development is being led by Manchester City Council in partnership with Manchester International Festival (MIF), who will operate and create the year-round programme for the landmark building, as well as

delivering the citywide Festival every other year.

The Factory builds on MIF’s success and Manchester’s long history as a centre for culture, creativity, innovation and production and will play a key role in the life of the city and the residents, bringing up to 1,500 direct and indirect full time jobs and adding up to £1.1 billion to Manchester’s economy over a decade. It is designed

by world-leading architects Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), founded by and will be their first major public building in the UK.

The Factory has received funding from HM Government which has been managed

by Arts Council . This is additional investment that would not have otherwise been available for the cultural sector or the region.

To secure a place on the initial Factory Futures Training Academy, applicants must

attend a virtual Open Day on Wednesday 21 October. For more information and to register for a place, visit https://mif.co.uk/factory-futures/

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

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About Manchester International Festival For more information, images, quotes and Manchester International Festival (MIF) was founded as the world’s first festival of interview requests original, new work and special events and is an artist-led festival reflecting the please contact: spectrum of performing arts, visual arts and popular culture. Emma Robertson Press & PR Manager Staged every two years in Manchester, MIF has commissioned, produced and +44 (0)7813 521104 presented world premieres by artists including Marina Abramović, Damon Albarn, [email protected] Laurie Anderson, Björk, Boris Charmatz, , Idris Elba and Kwame

Jamie-leigh Hargreaves Kwei-Armah, Elbow, Philip Glass and Phelim McDermott, David Lynch, Wayne Senior Press Officer McGregor, Steve McQueen, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Yoko Ono, Thomas +44 (0)7534 492 118 Ostermeier, Maxine Peake, Punchdrunk, Skepta, The xx, Robert Wilson and Zaha [email protected] Hadid Architects.

Oscar Lister Press Officer These and other world-renowned artists from different art forms and backgrounds +44 (0) 7494 688523 create dynamic, innovative and forward-thinking new work, staged in venues [email protected] across Greater Manchester – from theatres, galleries and concert halls to railway depots, churches and car parks. MIF works closely with venues, festivals and other mif.co.uk cultural organisations globally, whose financial and creative input helps to make many of these projects possible and ensures that work made at MIF goes on to be seen around the world. Page 1 MIF supports a year-round Creative Engagement programme, bringing

opportunities for people from all backgrounds, ages and from all corners of the city to get involved during the Festival and year-round, as volunteers, as participants in shows, through skills development and a host of creative activities, such as Festival in My House.

MIF will also run The Factory, the new world-class cultural space currently being built in the heart of Manchester and designed by internationally-renowned architects Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture. The Factory will commission, present and produce a year-round programme, featuring new work

from the world’s greatest artists and offering a space to make, explore and experiment. Attracting up to 850,000 visitors annually, The Factory will add £1.1 billion to the economy and create 1,500 jobs. Its pioneering programme of skills, training and engagement will benefit local people and the next generation of

creative talent from across the city, whilst apprenticeships and trainee schemes are already underway during the construction phase.

MIF’s Artistic Director and Chief Executive is John McGrath.

mif.co.uk

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