In this episode of Let’s Go Further, we continue our exploration of equity, diversity and inclusion across the skills and education sector focusing on how art and creativity supports learners development, confidence and accessibility.

With creative subjects historically being squeezed out of the traditional curriculum, this conversation examines how a foundational belief in creativity can empower thought and drive meaningful change. Inspired by the seminal work of Sir Ken Robinson, the discussion highlights why limiting education to just literacy and numeracy risks damaging the future of the economy and stifling innovation.

Host Joe McLoughlin is joined by Annabel Cooke, Co-Chief Executive Officer at the charity Artswork. As Co-Chief Executive Officer, Annabel strives to empower young people to work and lead in the arts and creative sectors. Evelyn, a young person who has directly benefited from the programme, now serves as a member of the Artswork and passionate advocate, helping to shape the future of the charity by ensuring the regular input of young voices into organizational plans.

Together, they explore the realities of turning good policies into good practice, the challenges facing educators and employers in under-pressure sectors, and the opportunities to create lasting, accessible environments that allow young people to thrive in whatever form suits them best.

Episode Guests

Annabelle Cooke

Co‑Chief Executive of Artswork, a charity that works with children and young people across England to build skills, confidence and creative pathways into the future. Her work sits at the crossroads of creativity, education and employability—and it’s been shaped by a career that hasn’t followed a straight line. Her journey has taken her through practice, education, local government and cultural leadership, picking up skills along the way—often by doing the work first and naming the skills later. That experience is a big part of why she’s so passionate about recognising learning that happens outside formal qualifications.

Today, Annabel leads programmes that support young people—especially those facing disadvantage—to develop real‑world, transferable skills through creative projects. She works closely with educators, employers and the arts sector to create routes into further learning, work and creative careers, and is a strong believer that skills stick best when young people are trusted, involved and working on things that feel genuinely meaningful to them.

Evelyn
Evelyn became involved in Artswork’s Youth Board at the age of 14.  Now 17, she remains a passionate advocate for the work and creativity more broadly. She loves performing and is busy carving out the next step in her journey.

Resources:

Download the transcript for this episode here.