Discover! Creative Careers has announced a major expansion of its national government-funded programme to inspire more 11 to 18-year-olds into advertising and marketing and other creative industries.
Discover! Creative Careers’ flagship annual event, Discover! Creative Careers Week, has been extended to a month-long programme of industry encounters this November.
The event will connect young people with real-world experiences in the creative industries through employer-led events, talks, and workshops designed to inspire future talent into advertising.
Discover! Creative Careers Steering Group member the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) found in 2024, that ethnic diversity has fallen within the advertising workforce, emphasising the importance of supporting a broad range of young people into advertising by providing them with industry encounters that can break down barriers to access.
The planned expansion comes after the initiative received increased investment from the Department for Culture Media and Sport, which recognised its success in improving awareness of creative industry career paths for school students.
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The project is administered by ScreenSkills in partnership with a steering group of nearly 30 leading creative industry organisations, educators, and career specialists. It aims to demystify creative sector pathways for young people, such as advertising and marketing, and ensure the next generation of creative professionals better reflects the UK’s diverse talent pool.
Mary Rose, programme lead at Discover! Creative Careers, said: “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.”
As part of this year’s event, the IPA who will once again be running AdUnlocked where they we send schools and colleges into agencies for real career experience. This year they will also have an exciting partnership with Brixton Finishing School.
And Louise White, MIPA, Director of Professional Development, The IPA, said: “The initiative will help thousands of young people in schools, who perhaps would not normally consider our sector, to explore the fantastic opportunities open to them.”
“It complements our own annual IPA Advertising Unlocked programme perfectly, where agencies across the UK open their doors to local schools, giving students a first-hand look at what it’s like work in advertising and media,” she added.
Almost 150 industry partners are already registered from a wide range of creative subsectors from advertising and marketing to art and design, craft to computer games. The programme will collaborate with Speakers for Schools on a series of virtual events throughout the month.
As part of the Discover! Creative Careers Programme, a work experience pilot will also 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.
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