R&D: freelancer training opportunities

Tonic is working with Guildhall School of Music and Drama to explore ways in which affordable, flexible and relevant training and professional development opportunities could be provided for performing arts freelancers. This work is funded by the government’s Regional Innovation Fund.

At Tonic we’ve been listening to freelancers and we’ve heard that it’s hard for them to find training that works for them. They need opportunities that are flexible to the reality of a freelance lifestyle, and which respond to the nuance of what freelancers working in the performing arts today most need. In particular, there’s a gap for practitioners who’ve been working for some time – rather those just starting out – and who want to grow their existing skillset, or perhaps explore a new direction in their careers. We know that for freelancers who are already facing greater precarity or isolation at work, the lack of development opportunities is likely to be particularly problematic.

We’ll be conducting research and development in the coming months into what could be put in place to fill this gap. You can read more about this work here.