The ‘Unsung Heroes’ who have given young talent their first big break in the Arts have been celebrated for the first time in Northern Ireland.

Some of those quietly working behind the scenes in the creative industries found themselves in the spotlight at a special event marking the work being done to encourage young talent at the Northern Ireland Creative & Cultural Skills Awards.

This is the first time the awards have been held in Northern Ireland and it gave an opportunity for an industry which is under serious pressure from budget cuts to celebrate the people who are giving young people an opportunity to get a foot on the career ladder.

“We recognise that it’s been a difficult time in the arts but the creative industries is a valuable and important sector to the economy in Northern Ireland and it’s essential that we develop new talent and continue to build a vibrant industry,” said Sara Graham, Nations Director, Creative & Cultural Skills.

“During the event, we asked people to remember the person who gave them their first break and what it meant to them to be supported and believed in. That’s what this event is all about,” she added.

The awards were presented by Marcus Davey, CEO of The Roundhouse, who would most definitely be named by thousands of young people in the UK as the person who gave them their first break. The Roundhouse is a major London arts venue that has been instrumental in working with young people.

“If we don’t invest in young people we will have a worse society for them and for all of us. We can help by enabling them to be adaptable to change and to see the world as something full of possibility and not to be feared.  They are the ones who are going to create our future,” he said.

The Roundhouse has a philosophy of working with young people regardless of their background. “Sometimes people can get to a challenging point in their lives and they can be written off by society. But this is the time that it’s essential that we find a way in and enable them to flourish,” he added.

The event, which included a panel discussion on the impact of supporting young people in Northern Ireland, was held at Belfast Metropolitan College’s Titanic Campus.

Marie Therese McGivern Principal and Chief Executive of Belfast Met said:  ‘’We are delighted to host this event at our Titanic Quarter Campus. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the finalists, the effort and energy that they have put into nurturing creative talent is really inspiring and I know that they will have a great impact on the future success of our creative economy in Northern Ireland.’’

Creative & Cultural Skills supports the industry in many ways including through the   NI Creative Employment Programme, which provides funding to employers for internships and apprenticeships within the sector. The programme is supported by the Arts Council for NI Lottery Fund. These are paid apprenticeships and internships challenging the culture of unpaid work and creating new entry level jobs.

The winners:

NI Creative Industry Skills Award

Winners: Big Telly Theatre Company and Philip Crawford – Lyric Theatre

NI Industry and Education Partnership Award

Winner: Nerve Centre with BFI

Highly Commended: Belfast Metropolitan College with Maiden Voyage and Production Services Ireland

NI Young Talent Award

Winner: Chris Grant

Highly Commended: Sinead Owens

NI Creative Choices Award

Winner: Arts & Business NI

Highly Commended: Nerve Centre

NI Special Recognition Award Basil Dalton – for his work developing the creative industries programme at North West Regional College for nearly 30 years.