Discover! Creative Careers has announced a major expansion of its national programme to inspire more 11-18 year olds into creative careers. The initiative, which is administered by ScreenSkills on behalf of the wider creative industries in partnership with a steering group of almost 30 creative industry, education and careers partners, includes the flagship annual event, Discover! Creative Careers Week, which will expand to a month-long programme of industry encounters this November.
The government funded initiative has received increased investment from the Department for Culture Media and Sport following the programme’s success in improving awareness of creative industry career paths for school students.
The free to access programme will continue to support efforts to broaden and diversify the talent pipeline into the creative industries, whilst plugging skills gaps to boost productivity in one of the UK’s most important sectors.
Discover! Creative Careers has also announced a planned expansion into two other UK nations, widening its reach and connecting even more young people with creative opportunities. The invitation to tender for the Discover! Creative Careers Nations Expansion contracts closes on 11 June, find out more.
Additionally, a work experience pilot will be run by Mission Accomplished with a focus on in-person placements aimed at Years 10 and 11 building on the Department for Education’s ambition for two weeks’ worth of work experience for all young people. Work experience placement(s) in years 10-11 should allow students to experience a real working environment and begin to develop work-based skills and behaviours.
To harness the enthusiasm created by the month-long programme and ensure it leads to greater access to the creative industries, ScreenSkills is also working with DWP and DCMS to identify entry-level roles for Jobcentre customers to begin careers in this exciting sector. The Government has identified the creative industries as one of eight “growth driving” sectors it will prioritise in its industrial strategy.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “With a huge range of exciting and fulfilling careers in our world-leading creative industries now on offer, it is so important that all young people - regardless of background - have the skills, tools and opportunities to pursue this if they wish.
“The expansion of the Discover! Creative Careers Programme will ensure that thousands of young people across the UK have the opportunity to be inspired as they start to think about life beyond their core education."
The Discover! Creative Careers programme has been designed in collaboration with sector bodies, employers, education and careers professionals and provides a single front door to creative industry information, advice and guidance.
Programme Lead Mary Rose said “Our mission is to ensure that every young person has access to the information, advice and guidance they need to consider a career in the creative industries. We aim to remove barriers to access and reach those young people who are often overlooked. By doing so, we hope to inspire and encourage talented young people from different backgrounds, bringing a range of experiences and perspectives. We are looking for even more industry employers to provide encounters during 2025 and join our programme and partner events.”
Laura Mansfield, CEO ScreenSkills said “This expansion is a significant step for an already very successful programme and an endorsement of the huge value it has in opening doors for young people from all backgrounds to explore and consider a broad range of careers in the creative industries they might never have heard of. Working collaboratively pan-sector in this way is essential to sustaining growth and resilience and building a more inclusive and dynamic industry.”
Over the past two years, the programme’s vision of a strong, inclusive and diverse creative industries workforce has moved a little more into view; over 62,000 young people have experienced inspiring encounters as part of Discover! Creative Careers Week which takes place annually during November. This year there will be a whole month of events as the week transforms into Discover! Creative Careers Month. Already registered are 125 industry partners from a wide range of creative subsectors from architecture to art and design, craft to computer games. The programme will once again collaborate with Speakers for Schools on a series of virtual events throughout the month.
Steering Group member Into Film said "Into Film are delighted that Discover! Creative Careers Week has expanded to a month as it offers a fantastic opportunity to tie in with our UK-wide Into Film Festival in November, welcoming audiences of nearly half a million learners and their educators to its programme of screenings and special careers events".