About CCSP
Cumbria Cultural Skills Partnership - promoting and developing continuous professional development, skills and training for Cumbria's cultural sector and creative industries.

Initial research was carried out in 2003 and a core of potential funders was identified. These included Cumbria County Council, Arts Council England and Cumbria Learning and Skills Council. CCSP was established as a not-for-profit company in 2004 and a partnership co-ordinator was contracted to turn the proposed business plan into a practical reality. Modelled on the Northern Cultural Skills Partnership (NCSP) from whom CCSP evolved, initial activity centred around the development of a membership database, managing training bursaries and networking with other relevant local and regional agencies. A number of professional development events were also piloted in response to the needs of a range of sub-sector groups. These included visual artists, dancers, community musicians and museum, library and archive staff.

An external evaluation was commissioned in the summer of 2005 to examine the impact of the first 12 months of activity. The evaluation acknowledged the strong links that had been made with partner organisations and that the organisation was beginning to embed a range of appropriate processes. Over 150 members had been registered and 331 practitioners had engaged with the partnership through a range of activities. It was also noted that CCSP had been successful in broadening the range and amount of funding that it could access. The evaluation also highlighted the need to ensure its own sustainability, to improve communications, to demonstrate its impact more comprehensively and to continue to work more closely with others.

Particular successes for CCSP over the last 18 months would include the support for an artist residency in schools mentor programme which was developed with Creative Partnerships and Cumbria Arts in Education. This recognised the important contribution that creative practitioners have to offer to the education sector and the demands of the national curriculum. In particular the programme aimed to offer strategies for schools through the use of artist residencies and the promotion at creativity. In addition the programme provided artists with additional skills and professional development thereby improving their sustainable employment.

CCSP has also been working in partnership with Museums, Libraries and Archives to create, develop and promote appropriate learning networks in the county. This has involved a training needs analysis and delivery of pilot training programmes all aiming to improve the workforce development opportunities for those people working in this sector. The next 12 months will see the expansion of this work through a coherent programme of skills development supported by a newly appointed CCSP fieldworker.

Another notable success has been the involvement of CCSP as a project management resource for FACE (framework for accelerating creative enterprise). This is a county wide, £500K investment secured by Rural Regeneration Cumbria through the EQUAL programme to develop and grow business and enterprise in the performing arts sector. This involves working closely with project partners including Cumbria County Council, Soundwave and Generator to support up to 290 beneficiaries on the 3 strands of the programme. These strands are comprised of dance, community music and music management.

CCSP has worked in collaboration with ACME on Merseyside to roll out the Creative Advantage programme in Cumbria. This aims to provide a range of creative industry business development workshops which focus on creativity and enterprise. Specifically, the content of the Creative Advantage workshops centres around business planning, finance and marketing and is delivered by industry expert David Parrish.

CCSP now looks forward to the challenges ahead, not least is the continuing need for a streamlining of support, improved access to information about skills development and the need to support practitioners across the full breadth of the creative and cultural industry sector. Based on our success so far and with a critical evaluation of our own performance, CCSP is well placed to make real impact in the skills development of the county's creative and cultural industry workforce.