darts has built up expertise in the area of employability, particularly around reaching people distanced from the job market because of issues like long-term ill health or mental health issues.
We are now running creative courses to help people think about working again.
Real Skills for Real Opportunities
This two year project uses creative approaches like an installation in the gallery to explore the tensions between work and home and address the challenges faced by adults looking for work in Doncaster.
We've also been talking to local businesses to find out the skills they are looking for right now.
Previous work in employability
We worked with Success Doncaster on the Creative Strides project.
We helped residents in the most deprived communities develop their enterprising behaviour and consider what steps they might take towards returning to education or employment.
Engaging People in Change
Our creative approach has been studied by leading ethnographers who have refined and unpicked our work to collect evidence of the impact we made.
These findings are published in a report called Engaging People In Change (EPIC).
The power of the arts
Each of our long term employability projects demonstrates that the arts engage people quickly, effectively and deeply, with initial misgivings soon giving way to total commitment even from those whose lives are typically chaotic.
Raising expectations and confidence
The arts provide new means of self-expression and coping strategies, encouraging participants to share personal stories and find a new focus.
Past negative personae can be set aside to allow for genuine self-reinvention.
Adults looking for work
Please click on the stories below to find out more about our work in employability.