When you see your favourite actor on the TV screen, do you ever find yourself wondering how he got there and wish that you too could be there? Do you consider yourself the next Lira? Do you ever look at a statue or old building in town and wish you could find out what its significance is? And do you want to study the relevance of culture in today’s world? Well, congratulations, your curiosity and drive might just lead you to a career in Arts, Culture and Heritage, a vibrant and dynamic sector that will allow you to creatively express yourself while getting paid. Nice work if you can get it, right?
The Arts, Culture and Heritage sector is wide and varied and encompasses a wide range of careers. Performing and fine arts are just two sub-sectors within it, so if you are not into dancing on stage or can’t create beautiful art pieces, you could choose to be museum curator, either at an art museum or history museum. Because South Africa has such a rich diversity of cultures and a well-documented history, a career involving cultural and heritage studies could be very fulfilling and rewarding.
This industry may be difficult to break into, but once you have made it, the opportunities are endless.
South Africa has more than 300 museums and more than 100 theatre spaces. There is also a vibrant entertainment industry, ranging from your popular music to more niche genres such as opera and ballet. This will give you ample opportunity to explore your talents and interests, but be warned, a career in this field is not for the faint-hearted. This is, after all, a very competitive industry. Job security is also not guaranteed, particularly in entertainment, with the vast majority of actors, musicians and other performing artists relying on contractual or sessional work.
Still, this sector is guaranteed to provide a rewarding and challenging career. And CATHSSETA can help you find that career. So, whether you like being out there on stage, or prefer to be huddled in a corner studying our heritage, we can help you study towards your dream career and gain work experience when you have completed your studies.
CATHSSETA provides funding for bursaries, learnerships, internships and work integrated learning programmes. We also offer career advice.
If you are an employer in the industry, you can contact us on how you can access funding from CATHSSETA for your skills development interventions.
For more information about this sector or for career advice, please contact your nearest regional office.