Arts Council England and local partners back ambitious county-wide collaboration to grow skills, jobs and opportunities
An unprecedented partnership of councils, education providers and the creative sector has come together to invest £324,000 to transform creative careers across Greater Lincolnshire, creating new jobs and apprenticeships.
Lincoln Arts Centre and Barbican Creative Hub, based at the University of Lincoln, have been awarded up to £219,454 from Arts Council England (Midlands) for the Routes In - Greater Lincolnshire Place Partnership project. The funding is matched by a £55,000 investment from the University of Lincoln, alongside a combined £50,000 from Lincolnshire County Council, North East Lincolnshire Council, North Kesteven District Council, South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership, and West Lindsey District Council - marking one of the most ambitious collaborations for the county's creative industries to date.
Running from 2026 to 2029, the three-year programme will strengthen Greater Lincolnshire's creative economy by investing directly in people, skills and pathways into employment. It will:
• Establish five creative apprenticeships, employed by the University of Lincoln, building capacity across the creative sector while making use of the University's Apprenticeship Levy.
• Establish and grow the Greater Lincolnshire Creative Careers Network, connecting employers, educators, skills leads/hubs and emerging creative talent across the region.
• Deliver an annual programme of creative careers support, including job centre surgeries, mentoring and special careers and skills events, strengthening links between education and employers.
• Launch a Greater Lincolnshire Creative Careers Summit and Conference, bringing together industry leaders, educators and policymakers.
• Deliver governance and board development training, helping more people develop leadership skills and strengthening cultural organisations across the county.
The project supports national priorities around skills, economic growth and opportunity in some of our most rural communities. The project also reinforces the University of Lincoln's role as a civic university, helping drive regional growth through skills, innovation and partnership.
