XPLOR at South Kirkby's Production Park launches to praise from Sir Peter Bazalgette and Arts Council England's Darren Henley

The site has provided rehearsal and filming space for some of the world’s biggest stars – including Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Arctic Monkeys and the Rolling Stones – but the event this week marked the official launch of XPLOR, a new "research and innovation hub” dedicated to exploring the possibilities of live production, entertainment, arts, and creative industries.

A panel discussion took place between Sir Peter and Mr Henley. In his Independent Review of the Creative Industries report in 2017, Sir Peter had singled out the Wakefield district as an example of an area which had effective leadership in the sector.

Asked to give his thoughts more than five years on, he said: “The way that this place is growing and the way that it's got all these commercial companies sitting side by side with the people who are learning - and they're learning practically, the number of jobs people are getting, they're high value jobs as we heard, they're double the value of the average earnings around here - this is really inspiring.”

The facility has its own Backstage Academy, allowing learners to gain real world experience on site.

However, asked by an audience member what can be done to offer people from less priveleged backgrounds such opportunities in general, Sir Peter said: "We have a massive job of work to do in defining, properly, career pathways. You can't sell something before you've defined it. So we need to define the career pathways. And then we need to send to three audiences. Parents, teachers, kids, and they're not the same audience.”

He said there is a skills gap, using roles such as production carpentry and hairdressing as examples of those needed.

Sir Peter co-chairs the Creative Industries Council with Michelle Donelan, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Mr Henley, meanwhile, told the audience that facilities such as Production Park are “taking Yorkshire to the rest of the world”.

Lee Brooks, CEO of Production Park, said: “The live experience and entertainment industry is evolving at a rapid pace – we’re changing the way we deliver global tours and film and TV productions.

"As an industry we’re constantly challenging the way we do things to find better, more efficient and more sustainable methods of production.

“Production Park, and new research and development centre XPLOR is at the heart of this. With new technology and facilities, and an expert team driven to develop ideas and improve processes, we can support UK growth, its unique sector specialism and have a real impact on the future of the industry.”

He told attendees that the site "is at the very heart of the concert touring industry, and to have done that in this location is a great leveller in making access to creative careers more equal across the UK.

"South Kirkby has had a tough last half-century but as a community it's been good to us.”

He added that he hoped a “sculpture of a stage may someday sit alongside the pit wheels and miners carts monuments that still define the identity of this area today”.

XPLOR previously secured grant funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.