Learning Trainee Open Call, June 2025

Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop (ESW) is seeking a freelance Learning Trainee to work alongside our Learning Team across 20 days between July 2025 and June 2026, supporting the delivery of our engagement programme strands.

Deadline for applications6 July 2025 at 5pm.

Role Title
Learning Trainee

Type of Contract
Freelance - paid by invoice.

Duration
Fixed term, 11 months: July 2025 - June 2026

Number of Days Guaranteed 20 days over the course of the 11 months.

Rate
£12.60 per hour

Working Hours Typical working hours: 9.30am - 5pm, weekdays and occasional weekends.
Confirmed dates needing support include:
Saturdays - 9, 16, 23, 30 August 2025, plus prep time in advance.
The Schools Programme runs on weekdays during term time.

Location
Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop
21 Hawthornvale, Edinburgh, EH6 4JT

Key Dates
Application Deadline Sunday 6 July 2025, 5pm
InterviewsWeek commencing 14 July 2025 (in person - travel expenses available)
Start Date As soon as possible from 21 July 2025

About Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop (ESW) is a centre for production, research and learning in the visual arts. We are open to artists, and anyone interested in developing their skills and knowledge of contemporary sculpture. Since our founding, our core aims have remained the same: to support artists in building and sustaining their careers, and to create opportunities for the public to engage directly with artists and their work.

Our long-term approach recognises that both artistic practice and meaningful public participation take time to evolve. We design our programme to encourage experimentation, foster new ways of learning, and highlight the value of engagement with the arts.

Our learning programme is artist-led and designed to be inclusive - incorporating the needs, interests and decisions of the participants. We welcome first-time participants, adult learners, children, and young people. We work closely with our local community through our schools programme and develop partnership projects with community groups, alongside a wide-ranging public course programme.

We are committed to increasing diversity across all areas of our organisation. Recruitment plays a key role in this, and we actively seek to train and employ individuals who are currently underrepresented in the arts.

Role Summary
The Learning Trainee will support the practical preparation and hands-on delivery of Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop'sLearning Programme - a year-round programme of engagement activities for young people, families, adult learners, school and community groups. This role will focus predominantly on supporting Sculpture Saturday, a series of drop-in workshops for families, and our Schools Programme, working in partnership with local schools including Trinity and Victoria Primary.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist with the setup and clear-up of spaces before and after each workshop.
• Organise, research and prepare materials and resources required for each session.
• Provide support to individuals and groups during workshops.
• Assist with the monitoring, evaluation, and documentation of workshop activities.
• Assist with creating and sharing social media posts about workshop activities.
• Actively engage in developing your own skills and knowledge, with guidance and support from the Curator for Learning.

Person Specification
Please note this can be professional or non-professional experience.

• Desire and interest in working with families and young people.
• Interest in visual art
• Ability to communicate effectively with a range of individuals and groups.
• Confidence working with sculptural materials and good making skills.

This is a training opportunity integrated into our team for a limited period to give the best developmental, on the job, experience mentored by the Curator for Learning and with support from other staff.

Equalities
We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and experiences. We are committed to building a team that is diverse, inclusive and reflective of the communities we work with.

Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop is committed to protecting young people that take part in our activities, please see out Child Protection Policy for more information.

We would also appreciate if you could also complete an equalities and diversity monitoring form on this link .
Please note this is an anonymous and will be processed separately from any other information.

If you would prefer to submit a video or audio recording of your answers please feel free to do so.
You can email your voice recording or video directly to .

Timeline
Deadline for applications 6 July 2025 at 5pm
Interviews will be the week commencing 14 July 2025. The interviews are planned to be in person. We can pay travel expenses to attend an interview.

Further support in making your application
If you'd like to talk through the role or your application by phone or email, please get in touch:

Where would I be working?
You would be based at ESW on all the days you are working; in the Outdoor Learning Studio and North Lab predominantly.

Can I do this job remotely?
No, it's not possible to do this job offsite as its direct delivery and associated practical tasks in the main.

Do I need to live in Edinburgh to do this job? Not necessarily but we have found that it's easier for people to work here if they are close by.

Do I need to have been to art school or have other qualifications to do this job? No, its not necessary to have formal qualifications, we want to be open to a broad range of creative and practical people who have the right attributes for this type of engagement work.

I haven't worked in an arts organisation before, does this matter? No, please help us to understand your own experience and how it will be relevant to this role.

Who will I be working with? Your closest colleagues will be the Curator for Learning, Debi Banerjee and the Learning Assistant Chris Coatham. Laura Simpson, the Director, oversees their work. You will also work with the rest of the team at ESW: Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop Staff and Board

You will also have contact with participants (children, young people and adults) and with staff of other charities and schools we work with.

Will I need to be self-employed? Yes, you will need to be self-employed and send us invoices for payment. We can give information about this process.

How will I be supported? Debi Banerjee the Curator for Learning will manage your work planning and she and Chris Coatham the Learning Assistant will support you in your work. The rest of the team will also be there for additional support. We have a focus on learning as a team and individually and you will be able to discuss aims and hopes for learning with the Curator for Learning and work through those within your time here.

What sort of organisation is ESW?

ESW is a charity focused on the arts and education.