A Day in the Life of a Cultural Learning Participation Officer
As a Cultural Learning Participation Officer Apprenticer, I support the planning and delivery of creative and community focused activities at the Battery of Ideas. My role involves working with local partners, artists, and organisations to make the arts more accessible, especially for families and people who are often underrepresented. I help run workshops, engage with participants, assist with marketing and promotion, and gather feedback to ensure our events are inclusive, welcoming, and impactful for the community.
Being an apprentice at the Battery of Ideas means no two days are ever the same. One day, I might be helping run a creative workshop with local families, and the next, I’m welcoming visitors to an exhibition, talking with artists, or setting up a community activity like our new summer craft days. I’m often involved in organising events, creating posters, writing content, or speaking to partners to make sure everything runs smoothly. I’ve even been lucky enough to manage spaces during big events, like Suffolk Day with the mayor, or support the First Light Festival with artist coordination and photography.
As part of my apprenticeship, I also study modules around community engagement, marketing, evaluation, partnership building and understanding creative organisations. One of my favourite things so far has been learning about CPD (Continuing Professional Development). It’s helped me realise how passionate I am about learning, not just for me, but for the people I work with. I want others to have the opportunity to grow, feel supported, and express themselves through creativity. Everything I’m learning ties in with what I genuinely believe in, creating safe, welcoming spaces for people to connect, feel inspired, and be part of something.
Long term, I’d love to go into arts or music management. I'm also keen to develop my own photography business and see how I could blend it with events and creative community work. This apprenticeship has really opened my eyes to how many ways you can make a difference through the arts, and I feel lucky to be in a role where I get to do that every day.