Outstanding prop-making, set building, scenic painting, lighting and staging are critical to the successful execution of a director’s vision and a world class performance on stage at the Royal Opera House. These skills require specialist training and time spent ‘on the job’. A decline in vocational training has left the cultural sector with a chronic shortage of suitably qualified craft and technical theatre specialists – not just for work in opera and ballet, but in West End theatre and musicals, pantomimes, film and television. To provide the talent and workforce for the future, and increase diversity within the cultural sector, the Royal Opera House is leading the way by offering an innovative creative apprenticeship scheme. Our first Creative Apprentice started his two year apprenticeship in September 2007, specialising in scenic carpentry. He spends his time working with the Royal Opera House team at the production warehouse at Beckton, at the Building Crafts College in Stratford and at scenic workshops in other venues, and was recently named ‘Apprentice of the Year’ by the Building Crafts College. A year after establishing the scheme the Royal Opera House also has apprentices employed in the armoury, scenic metalwork and scenic painting departments and hopes to expand this number in the near future to include technical theatre and tailoring apprentices.