A joint initiative from Creative New Zealand, the Auckland Ministry of Social Development and the New Zealand Arts Work Project, is proving an invaluable tool for addressing the professional development needs of creative workers. The New Space programme, founded in 2001, has established itself as an indispensable launching pad for careers across all creative sectors in New Zealand, empowering practitioners to make informed choices that align with their personal career vision. The programme is a year-long course beginning with a ten-week intensive course where participants attend three days per week. After this, the course enters a follow-up phase and participants come in once a month over a nine-month period. All participants are registered PACE (Pathways to Arts and Cultural Employment) clients when they begin. ‘It’s about having a vision of what you want for yourself and identifying the restrictions that are stopping you from doing it,’ says New Space designer and facilitator Lorraine Blackley. ‘Once you’ve done this, then you can start to move forward.’ Of the first six New Space programmes, 49 per cent of participants have demonstrated a tangibly improved career position and are supporting themselves financially in a related field – figures that bode well for the future of the initiative. ‘A key part of the programme is helping participants to develop the skills needed to make industry contacts and realise opportunities,” says Blackley. ‘The programme is not about doing things for people but giving them the skills and confidence to do things for themselves.’ For further information, CLICK HERE.