Essential/Creative Skills Framework

We have an opportunity in the City of York to do things differently, working with providers across the City of York, and looking at the national and international research, we could develop a unique essential/creative skill set which will better equip our young people for life and success in the world of work and help them improve their attendance, behaviour and school work. The skills framework would focus specifically on outcomes for young people, would focus on young people’s development and how we can develop the skills and abilities that research suggests creates happy, healthy, safe and increasingly successful young people as they navigate their way through school, and into work and adult life.

We know from research, evidence and experience that these skills can be powerfully developed through culture and the arts and sport and the latest research suggests that we should:

o Do a lot of things… the more the better!

o Do a lot of different things… dance, sing, play, create and perform.

o Start young… the younger the better!

o Be coercive… “young people don’t know what they don’t know”!

o Be professional… quality matters!

o Ask young people what they think!

KEY PRINCIPLES

The Creative Skills Framework is informed by some key principles, including:

· Every young person has talent, ability and magic and it is our job to find and develop it!

· A holistic, young person-centred approach nurtures creativity and imagination;

· We should build on what young people can do rather than ‘solving problems’ and focusing on what they can’t!

· We should engage young people as active partners in their learning and development;

· Every child should have access to these skills and not just the lucky ones!

· We should recognise and reward skills in the same way we recognise and reward academic achievements;

· Coaching and mentoring are key aspects to developing these skills.

DRAFT CREATIVE SKILLS FRAMEWORK

CHARACTER SKILLS

· Responsibility,

· Confidence,

· Resilience

CORE SKILLS

· Communication,

· Digital skills,

· Creativity

WORK SKILLS

· Planning,

· Problem solving,

· Teamwork

Using the draft skills framework and the associated skills booklet, we could establish a working group to develop an enrichment programme for targeted young people in a carefully selected school(s) and evaluate the impact and outcomes over the first year, with a view to further developing it and then rolling it out across the City of York.