DRPG is putting early-career talent centre stage this Creative Careers Month with two major developments: the launch of the UK’s first Scenic Construction Technician Apprenticeship and its biggest, most interactive Sparks Live event to date.
The creative communications group has welcomed three new recruits - Julia Frost, Dash Hingley and Ella Smart - who joined in September as part of the first national cohort for the new Level 3 apprenticeship. Delivered by Creative Alliance and Skills England, the programme is the first to bring carpentry, drawing and metalwork together under one multi-skilled qualification.
The structure reflects DRPG’s in-house model across design, build, film, digital and live production, giving apprentices the ability to work across multiple disciplines from day one.
“It’s been amazing to help create a programme that reflects how the industry really works,” said head of stage and scenic, Becky Cubitt, who helped design the apprenticeship. “To now be offering it through DRPG feels like a full-circle moment. Scenic skills are so transferable, they open doors into every kind of creative environment.”
Creative Alliance’s business development manager, James Ellis, added: “It’s been a long journey getting these niche apprenticeships off the ground. DRPG taking on these apprentices is a huge step forward in developing the best talent pipeline for them and the UK live events sector.”
For apprentice Dash Hingley, the scheme presents a rare chance to join an entirely new pathway. “It’s been great getting hands-on experience building and setting up projects,” he said. “I’m looking forward to learning more about the whole process from design through to installation.”
Alongside the apprenticeship, Hingley is part of DRPG’s NextGen Board - a group of 18–24-year-olds helping shape the business. During this year’s Sparks Live, Dash led a scenic construction workshop attended by more than 150 students.
Sparks Live itself returned to DRPG’s Hartlebury campus during Creative Careers Month, attracting 180 students from colleges and universities across the UK. Hosted by the NextGen Board, the event offered a deep dive into roles across the creative industries, with hands-on sessions covering marketing, large-scale live production, digital teamwork, AI-enhanced creativity, scenic craft and film production via a live newsroom challenge.
With a national-first apprenticeship programme, an active early-career advisory board and its most ambitious Sparks Live yet, DRPG is doubling down on its commitment to building the sector’s future talent pipeline.
