Eighteen young people gained valuable hands-on experience at this year's Salt and Tar Music Festival.

Working on such a major event helped them develop their knowledge and skills, build industry connections and explore career opportunities within the live events and creative industries.

Long-term opportunities for local people 

Salt and Tar Music Festival 2026 has once again demonstrated the event’s Council’s commitment to it being an opportunity to create long-term opportunities for local people. A wide range of volunteering and work experience programmes provide young people important insights into the live events industry.

Delivered by Sefton Council, the festival welcomed students and aspiring event professionals, providing practical experience alongside some of the industry's leading experts.

Young people gaining first hand industry experience

As part of Sefton Councils partnership with the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA), six students completed work experience placements throughout the festival. The students were immersed in every stage of festival delivery, from planning and site build through to live event operations and breakdown of the festival site.

During their placements, students shadowed professionals working across site management, festival operations, site office functions and artist liaison, gaining first-hand experience of the wide range of careers available within the sector.

The students quickly became a valuable part of the festival team, supporting day-to-day operations and contributing to the successful delivery of the event.

One of the students, Tilda McGlashan, who was a first-year LIPA student at the time of the festival, said:

'Salt and Tar was just the hands-on industry experience I needed. Breaking into the creative industries felt daunting but the incredible team at salt and tar and Sefton council gave me an opportunity to be involved in the whole process from start to finish learning real world skills and getting stuck into the work I’ve been trying to do. It was a great experience I’ll be carrying into my post study work, and I have gained skills there that will shape my future career. Many thanks to the whole team.'

Salt and Tar also partnered with Scrapyard Studios CIC and the Gals Who Gig project to offer work experience opportunities to 12 young people interested in technical and production roles within live music events.

Participants took on a variety of hands-on roles, including monitor engineer, stage manager and live sound engineer on the festival's Grassroots Stage.

The placements provided valuable opportunities for participants to develop technical knowledge, build confidence and make professional connections within the industry.

A spokesperson from Gals Who Gig Liverpool and Scrapyard Studios CIC said:

“We had an absolute ball at Salt & Tar this weekend. Huge thanks to Salt and Tar and Lock and Quay for letting us co-host the grassroots stage with Scrapyard Studios CIC

“But even bigger thanks for letting us bring along 12 young people who had the opportunity to gain real hands-on live event work experience. They tried out roles like, monitor engineer, stage manager, live sound engineer (grassroots stage), worked follow spots for the headline act each night, and a few even got to work FOH for Nile Rodgers!!”

Councillor Paulette Lappin, Sefton Council's Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Economy and Skills, said:

"Salt and Tar Music Festival is about bringing world-class live music to Bootle, creating opportunities for local people, supporting skills development and helping the next generation gain valuable experience in the creative and cultural sector.

"The work experience placements delivered through our partnerships with LIPA, Scrapyard Studios CIC and Gals Who Gig are a fantastic example of the social value the festival creates. By providing young people with practical, real-world experience and access to industry professionals, we are helping to develop skills, raise aspirations and create pathways into future employment."

Events delivering lasting benefits for local people

The work experience programmes form part of Sefton Council's wider ambition to ensure major events deliver lasting benefits for local people, helping residents gain the knowledge, confidence and connections needed to access careers within the growing creative and cultural economy.