The Power of Events is proud to announce it has secured funding through a Purple Guide Grant to support the setup and delivery of 500 Experience of Work opportunities.
Experience of Work is The Power of Events’ response to the growing need for accessible, compliant and meaningful industry exposure for young people. Designed as the next stage to the on-going successful Schools Engagement Programme, the initiative gives young people the opportunity in peer groups to step inside real event environments across a day’s programme and experience first-hand the breadth of careers available.
Over the last few months, pilot Experience of Work opportunities have already been delivered in partnership with The O2, PLASA and The TEAM, with a number of additional programmes currently in the pipeline as industry support for the initiative continues to grow.
The Purple Guide Grant funding will specifically support opportunities connected to the outdoor events sector, helping showcase the scale, creativity and diversity of careers available.
As part of the programme’s continued growth, four other leading industry associations have now formally pledged places towards the initiative, including MIA, PSA, ABPCO and PLASA, demonstrating strong industry-wide commitment to supporting meaningful opportunities for young people across the seven core event sectors.
Members of these associations will be able to draw down against these pledged places to support the delivery of Experience of Work opportunities within their organisations and regions.
Alongside the support from industry associations, a growing number of organisers, agencies, venues and suppliers from across the UK events industry are also committing to delivering Experience of Work opportunities directly within their own organisations.
Importantly, the programme has been designed to remove many of the traditional barriers businesses face when engaging with young people. The Power of Events will provide guidance, structure and support around safeguarding, school liaison, risk assessment processes and programme delivery, helping organisations participate in a manageable, measurable and impactful way.
An Experience of Work Toolkit will provide a step by step guide to make it as easy as possible for businesses of all sizes to host a day’s programme of young people in groups ranging from 5-50.
Launching formally in September 2026, with opportunities for young people expected to begin as early as November, the programme is being developed in collaboration with industry partners and informed through the pilot activity across venues, build environments, agencies, warehouses and live events.
Experiences may include behind-the-scenes tours, interactive challenges, practical activities, exposure to live builds and meaningful interactions with industry professionals from across multiple disciplines.
Rick Stainton, CEO at The Power of Events said, “This funding is an incredibly important step in helping us all create meaningful, accessible and inspiring opportunities for young people to experience our industry first-hand.
The Events sector offers such a huge range of careers, skills and pathways, many of which young people simply do not know exist. Experience of Work is designed to change that by opening doors, building confidence and showcasing the incredible people and environments that make our industry so special.
We are enormously grateful for the support of the Purple Guide and the other Partner Associations and excited to work alongside businesses across the country to bring these opportunities to life.”
Steve Heap, Events Industry Council said, “The directors and publishers of The Purple Guide are very pleased to be able to support the amazing work of Power of Events through this grant,” says Steve Heap, the Purple Guide Board Chair.
“If our outdoor events industry is to survive the challenges of the 21st century, we must encourage young people into our workforce and one way to achieve this is through hands-on experiences on our event sites. As well as training up the next generation of event staff, we must also recognise the right time to step aside and make way for their ideas and enthusiasm.
“Ours is a constantly evolving industry, which is reflected in the regular improvements and updates to The Purple Guide and it is thanks to all those that subscribe that we are able to provide funding for this very important project.”
Businesses interested in finding out more, exploring partnership opportunities or expressing interest in accessing the fund can contact: sophie@thepowerofevents.org
Get Involved
Businesses interested in learning more about the Experience of Work programme, explore partnership opportunities or expressing an interest in accessing the fund can contact:
Sophie Beasor
Head of Operations and Engagement, The Power of Events
sophie@thepowerofevents.org
