For many young adults, the path from school to a stable career is unclear.
Arts-based workforce programs offer a different entry point. Rooted in disciplines from theater and film to design, fashion, music, and digital media, they draw in young people who might never walk through the door of a traditional workforce program. They pair creative engagement with industry exposure, cohort-based learning, internships and apprenticeships, and training in self-advocacy and freelance work. Along the way, participants build both technical and durable skills, like communication, adaptability, persistence, and collaboration, that carry across industries.
Drawing on Public Works Partners’ report, “Creating Work: Building Young Adults’ Careers through the Arts“, this one-pager outlines what makes arts workforce models effective and offers five recommendations for government, philanthropy, employers, and workforce providers. These include integrating the arts into existing workforce funding, centering employers, and building partnerships across the workforce ecosystem.
Check out the one-pager below and read the full report for the research, program examples, and recommendations behind it.
