Employers across the creative industries in the UK have come together in an unprecedented show of collaboration and generosity, supporting over 80,000 young people through Discover! Creative Careers Month.
Backed by significant in-kind contributions from industry partners, Discover! Creative Careers Month saw employers, freelancers and sector bodies donate time, expertise, venues and resources. Through a variety of in-person and online activities, they opened doors for young people across England, Scotland and Wales who may never have considered a career in the creative industries.
The scale of support reflects a shared commitment across the sector to widen access, challenge perceptions and ensure creative careers are open to everyone, regardless of their background.
During Discover! Creative Careers Month, employers across creative industry sub sectors delivered hundreds of sessions in schools, colleges, workplaces and cultural venues, alongside activity coordinated across the nations by industry partners, Into Film and online with Futures for All via Speakers for Schools and ERIC.
A total of 81,409 young people were reached through activities across the month with additional events taking place in early 2026 which will see the number continue to rise. Over 1,200 schools have engaged in the current programme with over 600 employers participating and delivering activities, 86% of which have been delivered in-person.
The significant contribution from industry to deliver careers experiences and support the reach of the campaign is estimated to be approximately £1,500,000 through in-kind investment. This includes approximately £479,700 to produce and participate in inspiring events for young people and approximately £1,00,000 worth of advertising space to maximise the campaign.
Industry partners across England, Scotland and Wales delivered hands-on, real-world insight across film and TV, gaming, architecture, archives, theatre, advertising, music and digital content, amongst others. This provided young people with the chance to meet professionals, explore behind-the-scenes roles and imagine themselves working in the sector.
Key industry partners who were pivotal to the success of the programme and campaign include the Discover! Creative Careers Steering Group and industry delivery partners:
· Arts Council England
· Blue Zoo Productions Ltd
· British Phonographic Institute (BPI)
· Cockpit
· Creative Assembly
· Creative UK
· Design Business Association (DBA)
· Design Council
· Education and Employers
· ERIC app
· Framestore
· Futures For All
· Get Into Theatre
· HaZimation
· Heritage Crafts
· Into Film
· Into Games
· Mission Accomplished
· National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ)
· One Dance UK
· Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
· The Academy of International Extended Reality
· The Advertising Association
· The Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC)
· The Careers Development Institute (CDI)
· The Crafts Council
· The Institute for Practitioners in Advertising (IPA)
· The National Archives
· The Publishers Association
· UK Fashion and Textiles Association (UKFT)
· UK Music
· UK Theatre / Society of London Theatre (SOLT)
Also providing essential support were:
- Advertising Association
- Alight Media
- Bauer Media
- Black Creative Trailblazers
- British Phonographic Industry (BPI)
- Channel 4
- Co-Op Live
- Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA)
- JC Decaux
- Open Media
- Outdo Media
- Outsmart
- PRS Foundation
- Smart Outdoor
- Ubisoft
- UCAS
- UK Interactive Entertainment (Ukie)
- WPP Media
Discover! Creative Careers Month forms part of a wider programme of activity, designed to build on the momentum and deepen engagement with young people across England, Scotland and Wales. This includes the continued delivery of a pilot work experience programme in partnership with Mission Accomplished; six Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), and the rollout of new nation- and region-specific eLearning modules tailored for Wales, Scotland and Yorkshire and Humber.
The programme will deliver new, in-depth online industry insight events delivered with Futures for All, to celebrate National Careers Week, and ongoing creative careers encounters taking place across England, Scotland and Wales.
To mark the scale of industry involvement, Discover! Creative Careers has launched its 2025 highlights film, featuring footage from events across England, Scotland and Wales and celebrating the collective effort behind the campaign.
ScreenSkills, which coordinates the programme, is already encouraging organisations of all sizes across the creative industries, and schools and colleges to take part in Discover! Creative Careers Month in November 2026. Register your interest to take part by clicking here and help shape the next generation of creative talent.
Mary Rose, Head of Discover! Creative Careers, said:
“The success of the inaugural Discover! Month has been a joy to witness. We are thrilled that more than80,000 young people across England, Scotland and Wales have been inspired by such a wide range of organisations that are at the cutting edge of our creative industries.
“Our world-leading creative sector is vital to the UK’s economy and sustaining it depends on developing the next generation of talent. I am grateful to our industry partners, whose work has inspired thousands of young people and helped deliver our most ambitious programme to date.”
Sarah Gregory, Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at Creative UK, said:
“As industry engagement partner for Discover Creative Careers, Creative UK has been deeply impressed by the huge number of ways that our industry has stepped up and stepped in to offer young people (and their carers and educators) an opportunity to be inspired by the many possibilities that a creative career can offer. Our particular thanks to the Out of Home Advertising Industry who supported so generously across the DCMS led campaign.”
Student participant in Discover Month at an immersive VFX workshop in London said:
“When you come into the office and meet the people, you can actually envision yourself working there.”
Declan Cassidy, CEO, Into Games, said:
“Discover! Creative Careers Month has been a brilliant opportunity to open up the games industry to young people who might never have seen it as ‘for them’. Through our workshops across Brighton, Hartlepool, Birmingham and South Yorkshire, we’ve been connecting students with real games professionals and supporting them to develop their first game ideas. For many, it’s been a genuine turning point… By March next year, our programme work… will have supported almost 1,800 young people.”
Sonny Hanley, Director, ITV Academy, said:
“Discover! Creative Careers Month has been the perfect platform for inspiring the next generation. From Coronation Street in Manchester to our London offices, we gave students a tangible look at the production journey from idea to transmission. It is vital we continue to demystify the industry and prove that a career in television is accessible to everyone.”
Alex Duarte-Davies, Director, Get Into Theatre, said:
“Every young person deserves to be part of a sector that celebrates creativity and diversity. Partnering under the Discover! Creative Careers banner has helped open doors into live entertainment careers for over 1,700 young people — and that number will continue to grow as more events roll out into National Careers Week 2026.”
Stuart Yeardsley, Zeno London, said:
“Programmes like Discover Creative Careers are vital because they give young people the confidence to explore paths they may never have known existed. Watching pupils respond creatively to a real-world brief was inspiring — and a powerful reminder of why industry involvement matters.”
Peter Chivers, CEO, Create Music and Future Creators, said:
“By mobilising our network, we brought over 60 professionals together with more than 3,600 young people across 25 events. The energy and goodwill created during Discover Creative Careers Month show just how vital national moments like this are in connecting those most in need with industry.”
From the nations, Into Film partners highlighted the growing momentum:
Non Stevens, Into Film Programme Lead, Cymru, said:
“Creative professionals across Wales shared their experience with hundreds of young people, inspiring them to explore pathways they may not have previously considered. We look forward to delivering even more opportunities before March 2026.”
Nicola Kettlewood, Into Film Programme Lead, Scotland said:
"We are grateful to all of our Discover Creative Careers industry partners who have been keen to share knowledge and information with young people, from ad production teams to textiles designers, and from writers to choreographers. And there is more to come as we continue to engage young people in schools, workplaces and online over the coming weeks, leading up to Scottish Apprenticeship week in March. Our thanks to all employers, creative practitioners, teachers, parents and young people so far for their enthusiasm and energy for the Creative Industries."