Norwich Theatre and City College Norwich pledge to boost creative and hospitality industry skills in Norfolk

25th August 2026

City College Norwich, Norfolk’s largest provider of creative and production arts courses for school leavers, and Norwich Theatre, the largest arts organisation in the East of England, have pledged to work even more closely to meet local and regional skills needs in the creative industries.

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by leaders from the two organisations with the aim of deepening their collaboration to enhance skills development, support the creative, hospitality and visitor economy industries, and deliver positive economic, cultural, and social impact.

City College Norwich students stand to benefit in numerous ways from this deeper collaboration with Norwich Theatre, through new opportunities such as:

• Joint development and delivery of practical, skills-based projects linked to the theatre and creative industries.
• Course-based projects for students across areas like technical theatre, production, hospitality, business and marketing.
• Collaborative creative activity, including productions, workshops, and live projects involving students and theatre staff.
• Shared use of facilities, rehearsal spaces, and technical resources.

Norwich Theatre and City College Norwich will also work together to make it easier for young people to gain the skills needed in the creative industries, for example by identifying and applying for funding opportunities, and collaborating to help students progress into jobs in the local creative and hospitality sectors.

These two leading anchor institutions in education and culture already have a long-established partnership, which sees City College Norwich students from a wide range of creative disciplines benefiting from work experience opportunities with Norwich Theatre, plus visits and guest talks.

The partnership also sees Norwich Theatre staff sharing their expertise to shape the creative courses taught at City College Norwich – spanning performance-based courses like acting, dance and musical theatre, as well as courses like the T Level in Events and Venues Technician, that train students for technical roles in professional theatre.

Ed Rose, City College Norwich’s Executive Director Business Development, Apprenticeships and Adults, said: “The creative industries are a leading sector within Norwich and Norfolk and we need to make sure that our college continues to deliver the right provision to meet the key skills that employers need.

“This agreement, as part of our Industry Connect programme, will take our partnership work with Norwich Theatre to the next level, and we are looking forward to creating many new opportunities for our students as a result of this work – both in the creative arts but also more widely in courses such as hospitality, business and marketing.”

Stephen Wright, Chief Operations Officer and Commercial Director of Norwich Theatre, said: "Norwich Theatre is proud to be deepening our partnership with City College Norwich as we work together to develop the next generation of creative talent for Norfolk. By strengthening the links between education and industry, we are creating a talent pipeline for our region and supporting the continued growth of Norfolk's creative, cultural and visitor economies, while ensuring local employers can access the skilled workforce they need for the future.”