Employer Views on Skills Programs in the Creative Sector: Forecast for 2025

Employer Views on Skills Programs in the Creative Sector: Forecast for 2025

The latest research report from Work Advance for Creative PEC, titled "Creative Industries Employers' Perspectives on Skills Initiatives: 2025," has shed light on the challenges faced by the creative sector in recruiting older workers and engaging apprenticeships.

The report reveals that employers in the creative industries are less likely to recruit workers over 50 compared to other UK sectors. This trend is mirrored in the sector's lower engagement with training routes like apprenticeships, which is significantly lower than the national average.

The creative sector, which has experienced strong growth alongside rapid technological change and an ageing population, is highlighted as needing a more robust talent pipeline and investment in lifelong learning to sustain its workforce. The sector's emphasis on formal education is underscored by the fact that a large proportion (about 69%) of the creative workforce holds a higher education degree or equivalent.

However, several barriers have been identified that hinder the recruitment of older workers and the uptake of apprenticeships in the creative industries. Time and cost constraints limit creative employers' engagement with skills initiatives, making it harder for them to invest in training and apprenticeships. The project-based and freelance nature of creative work poses challenges to the traditional models of apprenticeship delivery, whose duration requirements and scheduling are often inflexible.

Furthermore, there are limited specialised training providers tailored to creative industry needs, and apprenticeships in the creative industries accounted for only about 2.1% of all apprenticeship starts in 2020/21 despite the sector representing over 7% of the workforce. Implementation challenges exist for new education initiatives like T Levels due to difficulties in scheduling and coordinating the required industry placements that fit the flexible and project-focused working style in creative industries.

To address these issues, flexible, tailored training models and stronger investment in continuous skill development are required to support an ageing population and a dynamic, growing workforce. Despite 93% of creative employers reporting they were happy with the work readiness of older workers (aged 50+) when they did draw talent from this group, older workers are less likely to be recruited.

The report also indicates that creative industries employers are less likely to engage with training routes like apprenticeships than UK employers overall. Creative industries employers are more likely to recruit graduates to their first job compared with school or college leavers. However, 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 employed (vs 13% across all sectors), rising to 24% of graduates (vs 28%).

The report, authored by Lesley Giles, Director of Work Advance, and designed by Mike Green from Green Doe Ltd, underscores the need for the creative industries to address the disparity in recruiting older workers and engaging apprenticeships due to structural and financial barriers tied to the sector’s unique work patterns.

1. To maintain its growth, the creative sector requires a more robust talent pipeline and significant investment in lifelong learning, as highlighted in the latest research report.
2. The creative industries, owing to their project-based and freelance nature, face challenges in implementing traditional apprenticeship models due to inflexible scheduling and length requirements.
3. Employers in the creative sector tend to recruit a larger proportion of graduates compared to school or college leavers, yet offer employment after a placement less frequently than the average sector.
4. The report suggests that education policy should focus on developing flexible, tailored training models to support an ageing population and a dynamic, growing workforce in the creative industries.
5. Despite 93% of creative employers stating satisfaction with the work readiness of older workers, they are less likely to recruit from this demographic.
6. Specialised training providers that cater to the unique needs of the creative industries are scarce, contributing to low apprenticeship starts in the sector.
7. The sector's reliance on formal education is evident, as about 69% of the creative workforce holds a higher education degree.
8. The creative industries face structural and financial barriers in engaging with training routes like apprenticeships, partly due to time and cost constraints that limit employers' involvement in skills initiatives.
9. The creative sector's economy is closely tied to personal-finance and business development, making it crucial to address the challenges in recruiting older workers and engaging apprenticeships.
10. Research and data collection in the creative industries should focus on innovative solutions to address the challenges in recruitment, apprenticeship engagement, and skill development, thereby fostering the growth of creative industries clusters and the arts.

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