Plymouth College of Art employs Paul Read in new Enterprise Advisor role

Plymouth College of Art has appointed Director of social enterprise company Iridescent Ideas Paul Read as their new Enterprise Advisor, working within the college’s in-house Careers and Enterprise team.  Speaking of his new appointment, Paul said: “I am really excited about joining the team at Plymouth College of Art. Working with students looking to become self-employed and freelancers, or those who want to set up their own studio, and supporting them toward developing their own careers is very refreshing.”

The college’s Careers and Enterprise team offers students and graduates opportunities for professional development and business planning, equipping them to use their creative practice as a springboard to an exciting career in the creative industries locally, nationally and internationally. The team manages an extensive programme of workshops and talks led by industry professionals, as well as helping organise work placements and internships, and delivering careers and business advice for up to three years following graduation.

With over ten years experience of providing business support to private sector and charity sector organisations, Paul has supported over £2.5m worth of successful funding applications. Explaining his role at Iridescent Ideas, where he continues to work part-time, he said: “Iridescent Ideas is a social enterprise, we work with other social enterprises as well as charities and smaller community groups in the South West, ranging from the likes of the Eden Project to the Racial Equality Council in Plymouth, to help them with business planning and funding, as well as evaluating their impact which then feeds back into supporting funding applications.”

Laura Wasley, Head of Development and Enterprise at the college said, “The creative and cultural industries are largely comprised of small businesses and the self-employed so we want to make sure our students have the best access to information for this route after they graduate. We are very excited that Paul has joined the team as he has a wealth of knowledge in business start-up and finding the funding to support this regionally and nationally.”

Supporting students with establishing themselves as a practicing creative, Paul will advise on a broad range of topics, from creating a brand and applying for loans and grant funding, to understanding HMRC. Paul said: “I will be working toward implementing a structured programme that benefits a wide range of students, where they can go through the process of learning all the different steps you need to take to start a business. I look forward to seeing students return to the college and share their experience of being their own boss with the next cohort of students.”

With support from the Careers and Enterprise team and financial aid via the college’s Charitable Trust Bursary, Plymouth College of Art students have recently completed internships with notable industry-leading specialists such as National Theatre, Penguin Random House and Kilgour, Savile Row. Direct industry experiences such as these, promote innovation and preparation for a higher level of creative employment following graduation, allowing students to actively contribute to the £84bn added to the economy by the creative sector each year.