Business Leaders in Creative Industries Express Viewpoints on Skills Development Programs: Forecast for 2025
News Article: Challenges in Attracting and Preparing Talent in the Creative Industries
A new report titled "Creative industries employers' perspectives on skills initiatives: 2025" has been released, shedding light on the challenges faced by the creative industries in attracting and preparing talent. The report, edited, proofed, and supported by Creative PEC's policy, operations, and communications teams, highlights several key findings regarding age, recruitment, and training within the sector.
The report reveals that the recruitment of younger and older workers is lower in the creative industries compared to other sectors. Only 57% of creative employers recruited people under 25 in the past 2-3 years, versus 64% across all sectors. Recruitment of workers aged 50+ is even lower, though 93% of employers who did recruit from this group were satisfied with their work readiness.
Education leavers are rarely recruited in the creative industries, with 70% of employers having not recruited recent education leavers in the last 2-3 years. However, the report shows that when creative industries employers do recruit graduates, 21% of these graduates were perceived as unprepared for their roles, which is higher than the 14% in all industries.
One of the reasons for the underutilization of apprenticeships in the creative industries is the presence of barriers such as time, cost, and difficulties customizing training to sector needs. Despite awareness of apprenticeships being nearly universal, only 46% of creative industries employers report having some knowledge of what apprenticeships involve.
The report underscores the need to build a more robust talent pipeline and invest in lifelong learning due to sector growth, rapid technological changes, and an ageing workforce. Creative industries firms are less likely to offer employment after a placement compared with all sectors, with only 6% of school leavers taken on for a placement with a creative firm being then employed (vs 13% across all sectors), rising to 24% of graduates (vs 28%).
Lesley Giles and Heather Carey, Directors of Work Advance, are the authors of the report. The report can be cited as Giles, L. and Carey, H. (2025) Creative industries employers' perspectives on skills initiatives: 2025. Creative PEC. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.15730438. The report design was done by Mike Green/Green Doe Ltd.
In summary, the report highlights challenges around attracting and preparing talent of all ages, underutilization of apprenticeships, and the need for more tailored and accessible training initiatives in the creative industries. The report serves as a call to action for the sector to address these challenges and invest in the development of a robust talent pipeline.
- The report, titled "Creative industries employers' perspectives on skills initiatives: 2025," emphasizes the issues encountered in attracting and preparing talent within the creative industries.
- The creative industries experienced lower recruitment of younger and older workers compared to other sectors, with only 57% hiring individuals under 25 and 93% satisfied with recruited workers aged 50+.
- Employment of education leavers is rare in the creative industries, as 70% of employers have not recruited recent graduates in the last 2-3 years.
- The report indicates that when creative industries employers do hire graduates, 21% are perceived as unprepared, which is higher than the 14% in all industries.
- The underutilization of apprenticeships in the creative industries is attributed to barriers such as time, cost, and difficulties customizing training to sector needs.
- Despite universal awareness of apprenticeships, only 46% of creative industries employers have knowledge of what apprenticeships entail.
- The report calls for the creation of a more robust talent pipeline, emphasizing the need for investment in lifelong learning due to sector growth, rapid technological changes, and an ageing workforce.
- Creative industries firms are less likely to offer employment after a placement compared to all sectors, with only 6% of school leavers and 24% of graduates being employed post-placement.
- The report serves as a call to action for the creative industries to address the identified challenges and invest in the development of a robust talent pipeline for the future of the sector, education-and-self-development, and the broader economy.
