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Supporting Creative Arts learners at Leeds City College

 

 

Leeds City College is one of the UK’s largest further education providers, supporting over 20,000 students and delivering one of the region’s leading apprenticeship programmes. The college offers a wide-ranging curriculum across nearly all subject areas, including both academic and vocational qualifications at various levels. From apprenticeships and T Levels to specialist vocational courses, its programmes are designed to equip every learner with the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to progress into employment, or further study and achieve their goals and progress towards a successful future. Leeds College has a highly diverse student population, with around 30% of learners coming from minority ethnic backgrounds, significantly higher than the local average.

 

The Project

The college applied for a grant from the Skills and Education Group Foundation to enable creative arts students aged 16 to 19 to take part in sessions delivered by Martyn Ewoma. Martyn is a highly respected creative director, photographer, writer and stylist, who has worked with global brands including Nike and Adidas and leading publications such as British Vouge, the BBC and The Guardian.

 

Impact

The funding supported between 90 and 100 creative arts students at the Quarry Hill Campus, enabling access to high-quality, industry-informed learning experiences. These sessions were particularly impactful for students from ethnic minority backgrounds, who remain underrepresented in senior roles within the creative industries. By sharing his personal career journey, Martyn helped challenge perceptions, raise aspirations and demonstrate what is achievable for young people entering the sector.

 

The funding enabled the college to:

  • Provide students with direct opportunities to engage with industry professionals.
  • Strengthen students’ understanding of employability options within the creative sector.
  • Ensure curriculum content remains current, relevant, and reflective of evolving industry expectations.

 

The sessions benefited students and staff through:

  • Raising Aspirations: Learners had valuable opportunities to engage directly with an industry professional, helping to build confidence, raise aspirations and strengthen their understanding of employment opportunities. For many learners, access to professional networks, industry insight, and relatable role models is often limited, making this experience particularly impactful.
  • Building confidence: Students received tailored advice and were encouraged to explore areas of personal interest. Each session focused on delivering practical guidance on succeeding in the creative industries. Helping to renew motivation, increase engagement and build confidence in their abilities and future potential.
  • Visibility: Martyn shared practical industry insights into the industry alongside his own career journey. His experience as a young professional in the UK’s creative sector provided students with a relatable perspective, helping to build confidence and broaden their understanding of the opportunities available to them.
  • Industry knowledge: The sessions equipped students with a clearer understanding of progression routes and employability within the creative sector. Staff also benefited from the funding by attending the sessions and gaining up-to-date industry knowledge to inform curriculum design, lesson delivery, and assessments, ensuring learning remains relevant and aligned to current sector expectations.

 

Perspectives on the project

The sessions were highly successful, with students showing strong engagement throughout. Learners remained attentive across all three sessions, asking thoughtful questions about his creative process and career journey. Learners also valued the opportunity to share their own work, receiving supportive feedback that helped build confidence and inspire ambition. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many appreciating Martyn’s personal insights, the progression of his work, and the clear introduction to Sludge magazine.

 

A quote from Joe Mcloughlin, our Membership Foundation and Professional Development Manager on why funding projects like this matter:

Projects like this show how meaningful experiences can shape students’ futures. Exposure to real-world expertise helps young people better understand the industry and how they can realise their aspirations within it

— Joe Mcloughlin, Membership Foundation and Professional Development Manager

Find out more about our Learner Grants here