The learning on the Skills Bootcamp involves a total of 60 hours:

• 10 days of training to develop creative management skills (Know yourself, innovate your business and embrace change, build relationships, be responsible) 

• Be inspired by ‘expert witness’ examples of practice and guest speakers from the creative economy;

• Complete interactive exercises that support shaping your business and goals;

• Focus on digital skills development to promote yourself and your business;

• Take up one-to-one support towards employment and business development via trained mentors; 

• Access to work shadowing and networking opportunities;

• Access to our Career Advicers to develop your CV and interview and pitching skills;

• Online materials and cohort integration;

This programme will be at the University of Portsmouth.

Welcome to the programme

• Welcome session: Friday (online session)

Know Yourself

• What's my creative purpose: Monday 2024 (in-person session)

• Personal effectiveness - leading yourself: Tuesday 2024 (in-person session)

• Building your brand and value: Wednesday 2024 (in-person session)

Innovate Your Business and Embrace Change

• Understanding the market and opportunity: Thursday 2024 (in-person session)

• Creative business - money, funding and risk: Friday2024 (in-person session)

Building Relationships

• Consumer insights and professional selling: Monday 2024 (in-person session)

• Digital marketing for creative business: Tuesday 2024 (in-person session)

• Creative practice and networks: Wednesday 2024 (in-person session)

Being Responsible

• Social Responsibility for your creative business: Thursday 2024 (in-person session)

Accelerating your creative business

• Accelerating your creative business: Friday 2024 (in-person session)

Additional sessions

• Work shadow  

• Mentor meet-ups

• Mock interview

You will meet the following experts on the Bootcamp:

• Claire Sambook is a University of Portsmouth lecturer in The Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries and author of Creative Portsmouth. She is a founder of a new studio at Ankle Deep, The Dockyard, Portsmouth. Ankle Deep is an experimental space that enables industry and practitioners to work on live projects collaboratively with creative students. Claire has extensive networks in the Solent area linking into the creative sector.

• Gemma Nichols is a board member of Portsmouth Creates and provides critical sector and employer perspectives in developing the entrepreneurial ecosystem for creatives.

• Amy Doyle is an experienced event manager, trainer and deliverer on entrepreneurship softskills and productivity development.  She is founder of The Lark Network providing 1:1 support, training and events for women-led startups with a focus on those facing additional barriers and members of the LQBTQIA+ community;

• Leila DeLara is a Senior Lecturer of Enterprise with expertise in delivery to creative industry students within the Faculty of Cultural and Creative Industries particularly around business development, digital technologies and pedagogies for engagement;

• Amy Hopkins is a Chartered Accountant and Senior Teaching Fellow in Accounting and Finance. She specialises in integrating employability skills into the classroom, with a focus on addressing social barriers to entry into professional fields.

• Dr Georgiana Busoi is a Principal Lecturer in Marketing and has delivered training to entrepreneurs including marketing, sales and building a brand identity;

• Ze Zook is a Senior Lecturer in Digital Marketing working with multiple businesses of all sizes across a range of industries including the creative industries; Ze provides strategy and business advice in digital marketing;

• Lynda Povey is an experienced enterprise educator and member of the Student Start-up Team within University of Portsmouth delivering route to start-up and TEP (The Enterprise Programme);

• Eilish Gorse is an experienced enterprise educator delivering development across the University of Portsmouth for Start-up and broader enterprise skills. She is a key member of The Enterprise Programme delivery team;

• Luke Hahn, Janet Woolnough, Paul Barnes are the Careers Advisors for the Faculty of Business and Law and Creative and Cultural Industries and experts in careers guidance and opportunities for learners. 

• Eliana Lee-Gibbons is an experienced placement manager in the faculty of Cultural and Creative industries with particular experience with working with undergraduate students.  Eliana is collaborating with Create Britain and Create Solent to develop a more coherent view of creative opportunities in the Solent region. 

• Dr Zoe Dann is an experienced and specialist applied entrepreneurship enterprise educator managing and leading in start-up and product development. 

The following are useful ways to describe your interest, experience and motivation that show that you will benefit from the course.  

1. Outline your previous creative projects and relevant experience

Provide dates and the nature of the projects (subject matter, medium, target audience, your contribution, collaborators, the outputs);  Provide a link to your portfolio or websites that show your work or email photos or show reels if they are not accessible via the internet;

2. Describe the roles or work that you are seeking in the creative industry 

Describe the job roles that you have been seeking; Describe projects that you are looking to develop within the industry;

3. Outline your creative skills and give examples

Outline the sort of skills that you have that support you in your creative practice e.g. 3D modelling, graphic design, illustration, photography.

Please contact us if you need any support with your application businesssupport@port.ac.uk

Applicants will need to provide evidence of their right to remain in the UK. Failure to provide appropriate documentation may result in the training placement being withdrawn.

All successful applicants must attend a mandatory 1-hour online onboarding session on March 8th in preparation for the boot camp. Further details will be announced closer to the time.