An unprecedented partnership of councils, education and the creative sector are investing £324,000 to transform creative careers across Greater Lincolnshire, including West Lindsey, creating new jobs and apprenticeships.

Lincoln Arts Centre and Barbican Creative Hub, based at the University of Lincoln, have been awarded up to £219,454 from Arts Council England, Midlands for the Routes In – Greater Lincolnshire Place Partnership project.

The funding is matched by a £55,000 investment from the University of Lincoln, and a combined £50,000 from local authorities including West Lindsey District Council, marking one of the most ambitious collaborations for the county’s creative industries to date.

The three-year programme taking place 2026-2029 will strengthen Greater Lincolnshire’s creative economy by investing directly in people, skills and pathways into employment.

Investment to transform creative careers across Greater Lincolnshire, creating new jobs and apprenticeships.

placeholder image — Investment to transform creative careers across Greater Lincolnshire, creating new jobs and apprenticeships.

It will establish five creative apprenticeships, employed by the University of Lincoln, building capacity across the creative sector while making use of the University’s Apprenticeship Levy; introduce/Nurture the Greater Lincolnshire Creative Careers Network, connecting employers, educators, skills leads/hubsand emerging creative talent across the region; deliver an annual programme of creative careers support, including job centre surgeries, mentoring and special careers and skills events, strengthening links between education and employers; launch a Greater Lincolnshire Creative Careers Summit and Conference, bringing together industry leaders, educators and policymakers and deliver governance and board development training, helping more people develop leadership skills and strengthening cultural organisations across the county.

The project supports national priorities around skills, economic growth and opportunity in some of our most rural communities, while reinforcing the University of Lincoln’s role as a civic anchor institution and catalyst for regional economic development.

Coun Stephen Bunney, chair of West Lindsey District Council’s Thriving People committee, said: “West Lindsey District Council is proud to be a part of this county-wide collaboration. This investment is a great example of what can be achieved when organisations work together with a shared vision for the future of Greater Lincolnshire.

“The Routes-In program will significantly improve creative skills across the county and create clear pathways into creative careers. Importantly, it will ensure that people living in our rural communities can benefit from the county’s growing creative sector, by supporting talent wherever it is found.”