A young person sits at a music production desk. She is holding headphones with her back to the camera

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New resources promote career pathways to young people

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan partners with industry leaders for film series and educational resources informing young people of pathways into creative jobs.

Patrick Jowett
2 min read

A new set of educational resources are aiming to promote creative career paths to young Londoners.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has partnered with leading companies in the creative industries to create a series of films, entitled Unpacking the Credits, which are focused on demystifying behind the scenes jobs in the creative industries.

Aimed at young people aged 11 to 15 of all backgrounds, the series of short films, educational resources and an accompanying 12-point lesson plan will be distributed to around 700 schools and education institutions across all of London’s boroughs, to be used throughout the academic year in 2023/24.

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The series covers stage and screen job roles in visual effects, publishing, theatre and stage production, music, and architecture and design, highlighting the variety of skills in and possible creative pathways in each area.

London’s creative industries generate £58 billion a year but are experiencing skill shortages, with the film industry needing to fill 50,000 jobs over the next few years.

Meanwhile, minority groups remain underrepresented in the industry, with 4% of those in the film industry and 24% across the creative industries from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Khan says he hopes Unpacking the Credits will help to “ensure young people from all backgrounds have the chance to realise their potential and help to drive the creative economy forward, as we continue building a better London for everyone”.

“There are so many exciting roles [in the creative industries] available, so it’s more important than ever that all of our capital’s talented young creatives learn about them and how to access them,” Khan added.

HBO, Bloomsbury Publishing, Disney’s The Lion King, Sony Music, Grimshaw Foundation and British Nigerian designer Yinka Ilori worked in partnership with Khan to create the resources.

 “This programme from the Mayor of London will help to break down barriers and connect young people to a wide range of training and career options,” said Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE, Principle and CEO of The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

“These types of initiatives, particularly in the creative industries, continue to showcase the exciting opportunities that are available.”