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Scroll down to find out about the creative industries and career pathways.
Jobs that use Art and Design
Jobs that use Art and Design
The UK Creative Industries:
Creating Growth
Creating Growth
The GVA of the Creative Industries was estimated at £123.03bn (or 5.37% of total UK GVA) between January 2024 and December 2024.
The GVA of the Cultural Sector was estimated at £32.97bn (or 1.44% of total UK GVA) in the same period.
Source: GVA (gross value added to the UK economy) for the Cultural and Creative Industries | Source: DCMS Economic Estimates: Monthly GVA (to December 2024)
https://www.wearecreative.uk/cultural-and-creative-industries-stats-q1-2025-26/
In 2024, there 268,080 Creative Industries businesses in the UK, the equivalent of 9.84% of all UK businesses.
There were 140,815 creative businesses in London and South East England (or 52.53% of all creative businesses).
There were 106,640 creative businesses in England outside of London and South East England (or 39.78% of all creative businesses).
The creative industries were one of the fastest growing sectors of the UK economy. They are defined by the UK government as “those industries which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent, and which have a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property”.
LEARN, ASPIRE, BELIEVE, SUCCEED!
The Foundation's mission is to remove the barriers to greater aspiration and achievement in education and in life for talented, ambitious and dedicated children and young adults.
The Black Heart Foundation is pleased to support future artists with their new Art Scholarship Programme
https://blackheartfoundation.org/art-scholarship-programme/
The Black Heart Art programme aims to provide financial scholarships to underrepresented and under-resourced young people for arts education, empowering the next generation of diverse arts talent.
The art sector remains one of the UK’s most overwhelmingly underrepresented industries, with only 18.2% of the music, performing and visual arts workforce coming from working class backgrounds and just 2.7% of the UK’s art sector come from Black, Asian and other ethnically diverse backgrounds. The UK government has also recently announced that its moving ahead with plans to cut funding for art and design courses by 50% across higher education institutions in England, further widening the gap to participation for many young people.
By providing diverse young talent with funding to pursue their artistic talent, we hope to ensure more equitable opportunities for all to create and experience the arts, no matter their background. Education is key to growth, and as money is the primary barrier to entry in the arts, by removing this barrier, it starts to chip away at the exclusionary way things have always been done in the art world and change the narrative to create greater inclusion.
APPLICATION PROCESS
APPLICATION PROCESS
To apply to the Black Heart Foundation Art Scholarship Programme, please visit our application portal. As part of the application we request a personal summary of no more than 1200 words providing a brief outline of the educational activity for which you seek a scholarship, outlining how the scholarship would align with the aims of The Black Heart Foundation and presenting a clear case of financial need. Take care to complete all of the sections in the application before submitting. You are able to save drafts and come back to your application. For further information on completing the application, or alternate forms of submission, please refer to our frequently asked questions (FAQ’s).
Overview of the UK's creative arts sector
Overview of the UK's creative arts sector
Author - Jemma Smith, senior editor
A cornerstone of the UK economy, the creative industries continue to grow. If you'd like to be a part of this thriving sector, learn more about the variety of jobs on offer and what to expect from careers in the field
What are the creative industries?
What are the creative industries?
Examples of creative industries include:
art
advertising
craft
design
fashion
film
music
photography
publishing
radio and TV
visual and performing arts.
Together they all form what is known as the UKs creative economy.
Why art and culture matters
Art and culture contributes billions to the UK economy
Arts and culture helps tackle social injustice - theatres, museums, galleries and libraries are the beating heart of our towns and cities. Not only do they bring prosperity, they bring communities together and make life worth living.
Our creative industries are successful throughout the world - our leading cultural institutions are a calling card worldwide and have important trading links from the US, Germany to China and South Korea. Last year our National Portfolio Organisations earned £57m abroad.
Careers in the arts
Careers in the arts
This page gives an overview of options for working in the arts, routes in and useful events and resources.
This page gives an overview of options for working in the arts, routes in and useful events and resources.
What is a career in the arts?
What is a career in the arts?
The arts sector offers a large variety of roles within the creative arts, design, and crafts, performing and visual arts, libraries, museums, galleries, and heritage.
Roles include museum curators, arts administrators, heritage or theatre managers, and historians. Roles are also often specific to each industry and require a relevant qualification. However, some are open to graduates from broader backgrounds, including management, marketing, communications, history, geography, or anthropology.
Art and Design Careers
Do you have creative flair and like to use your imagination? Maybe you enjoy designing or making things using different materials? If you have good practical ability, or always have some sort of creative idea going through your head, then art and design is a great career area for you to think about.
Artists and designers are involved in designing and creating almost everything we buy, from book covers to high fashion and furniture. They create works of art in many different forms, from paintings and textiles to sculptures and photographs.
In 2023-24, there were 2.4 million jobs in the UK creative industries, accounting for 7% of all filled jobs in the UK.1
Discover Creative Careers
Discover Creative Careers
Discover Creative Careers exists to inform and inspire young people about careers in the creative industries. It aims to showcase creative careers unknown to many and to explain what skills and qualifications they need to succeed in those careers when they leave school.
With over £1million invested from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and additional support from the Arts Council England, the 2023 - 2025 programme aims to reach young people from 77 target areas across England to pursue a career in the creative industries.
There's a career for everyone in the creative industries
There's a career for everyone in the creative industries
Discover Creative Careers is a government-funded, industry-led programme working to ensure there is a larger and more diverse intake of talent into the creative industries.
The national programme is part of the Government’s pledge to build a highly-skilled, productive and inclusive workforce for the future, with its ambition to maximise the growth of the creative industries, with £50 billion, and support a million more jobs across the UK by 2030, as outlined in the Creative Industries Sector Vision launched earlier this year.
For students and parents
For students and parents
Interested in a career in the creative industries? Find out about the range of roles, the prospect of work and where to go for further information.
Online career insight events
Online career insight events
Aimed at learners aged 11-18, our online insights feature industry professionals talking about their jobs – what they involve, what it’s like working in their sector, how they got into it and also some advice and tips for young people looking to enter a similar field.
The insight events are designed for a class to engage with together, but individual students can also register.
Explore our on-demand recorded insights and upcoming events:
Creative Alliance’s Creative Careers Education Toolkit
Creative Opps Mentorship Programme 2026
Creative Opps Mentorship Programme 2026
https://creativeopps.org/mentoring/
Calling All Creative Industry Professionals: Become a Mentor (& Mentee) with Creative Opps!
Many young people aspire to work in the creative industries, but access to meaningful guidance and long-term support is often limited.
Research shows that while 76% of people believe having a mentor is important, only 37% actually have one (Forbes). For those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, this gap is even wider due to lack of networks, reliance on unpaid labour, and short-term support that doesn’t foster lasting relationships.
At Creative Opps, we know that real progress happens through sustained connections, shared knowledge, and collective support. Careers in the creative sector are rarely straightforward — and access should never depend on luck or insider connections. Proper support builds confidence, develops skills, and opens clear pathways.
Interested in being mentored? If you’re aged 18-30, have big aspirations and need some advice and guidance to get where you want to go then please fill out this form and we’ll be in touch.
Stay Connected
Stay Connected
Applications are now closed, but if you’re interested in joining in the future:
Register your interest here
Or email michelle@creativeopps.org if you have any questions or access needs.
This mentoring program is made possible through funding from the National Lottery Community Fund.
Work Placements
Work Placements
Browse our current and past work placement opportunities.
If your company wants to address under-representation across the creative industries, we are here to help. Please get in touch via contact@creativeopps.org or our contact form to discuss potential next steps.
Creative Careers Academy Useful Contacts
Creative Opportunities:
Creative Opportunities:
Creative Opportunities:
Creative Opportunities:
(it may be worth bookmarking some of these)
Arts
Arts
Dreamworks Skills development (takes place in June) - http://www.dreamarts.org.uk/projects/expand/
Roundhouse creative projects - http://www.roundhouse.org.uk/young-creatives/list
(Graduate) CharityWorks is a 12-month scheme with some creative placements - http://www.charity-works.co.uk/
Creative Society - The Creative Society support young people to establish themselves in the creative sector through workshops, events and mentoring. Contact kitty@thecreativesociety.co.uk to gain advice and guidance about your creative career
Creative writing community & opportunities - http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/
Film & TV
Film & TV
Pat Llewellyn bursary for your big idea (open now) https://wftv.org.uk/applications-open-for-150000-wftv-pat-llewellyn-bursary-fund/
Mama Youth training schemes http://www.mamayouth.org.uk.php56-30.ord1-1.websitetestlink.com/training
Sarah Putt http://www.saraputt.co.uk/trainee-scheme/
PACT trainee scheme http://diversity.pact.co.uk/indie-diversity-training-scheme.html
Intermedia: LGBTQ+ mentoring http://www.intermediauk.org/mentoring/
Media Trust: training and development events https://mediatrust.org/news-events/events/
Edinburgh TV Festival: The Network - entry level TV training & 'at work' scheme (2019) http://www.thetvfestival.com/talent-schemes/
Film work / Crew work
Film work / Crew work
There are lots of companies and organisations that can help you find more opportunities in your local area through their crewing service:
If you are based in the regions or nations below, do check out the below some of whom run FREE crew databases that you can sign up to:
England outside London. Creative England run a free crew database that you can sign up to http://www.creativeengland.co.uk/film-and-tv/crew-and-facilities
Scotland, check out Film Bang - NB this is a paying commercial crew database https://www.filmbang.com/
Wales, Wales Screen https://businesswales.gov.wales/walesscreen/search-crew
Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen http://www.northernirelandscreen.co.uk/vacancies/calls-for-crew/
Liverpool. Liverpool film office http://www.liverpoolfilmoffice.tv/production-services/crew-andfacilities/
Birmingham, Film Birmingham http://www.filmbirmingham.co.uk/locations/
Bristol, Bristol Film Office http://www.filmbristol.co.uk/crew
Bath Film office https://channels.visitbath.co.uk/bath-film-office/crew-and-services
North East, Northern Film and Film cover the whole of the North East http://northernmedia.org/production-service/crew-and-facilities
Edinburgh, Film Edinburgh http://www.filmedinburgh.org/
Scotland, Fife and Tayside http://www.tayscreen.com/directory_search.cfm
Suffolk, Film Suffolk http://www.filmsuffolk.org.uk/about-us
There are a lot of crewing agencies and websites out there that will charge you to be on their books. Do make sure that you have signed up to a lot of the FREE resources out there initially and if you do sign up, do make sure that the ones you join do advertise jobs in your department and in TV Drama as many specialise more in Factual and Documentary.
Facebook is a great resource for groups that specialise in Film and TV jobs and departments. Many jobs are advertised this way.
BECTU: have National and regional branches that hold regular events and training courses as well as freelancer fairs https://www.bectu.org.uk/home
Royal Television Society (RTS) have National and regional centres that run events and awards https://www.rts.org.uk/
Check out the Guilds, organisations and trade bodies that work in and cover the department that you are inserted in working in such as:
Camera GBCT https://www.gbct.org/
Sound AMPS http://www.amps.net/
Locations the Production Guild - run location assistant training https://productionguild.com/
Make up NASMAH http://www.nasmah.co.uk/
Costume Check out the Facebook pages Costume Networking group and Costume Guild anybody?
Art Department: British Film Designers guild http://www.filmdesigners.co.uk/
Post UK Screen Association is a trade body for companies, but a great resource to be aware of to hear about what's going on in the industry http://ukscreenassociation.co.uk/
Creative Industries, House of Lords, 6 February 2025
Creative Industries, House of Lords, 6 February 2025
Debate on the importance and programme of work to ensure the Creative Industries contribute to fulfilling the Government’s growth mission, with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country, House of Lords.
The UK creative industries sector contributed £124.6 billion of Gross Value Added to the UK economy in 2022. The sector accounted for 5.7 per cent of UK gross valued added and it has seen a 6 per cent growth since 2019. The sector employed 2.4 million people in the UK in 2023, signifying the ongoing development in the industry
Explore, create, collaborate
Explore, create, collaborate
The Whitechapel Gallery Youth Programme is open to people aged 15 – 24 and gives young adults the chance to explore contemporary art, meet creative professionals and peers and discover career paths in the sector.
A printable short introduction into some of the professions and roles available in the world of visual art
UCL EAST
An introduction to creative careers
An introduction to creative careers
It’s the big question – what career to choose?
Here you'll find creative professionals sharing
the work they do, the skills they use, and how
they got into their creative careers.
Featuring:
V&A Youth Collective
V&A Youth Collective
The V&A Youth Collective is a group of young people aged 18 – 24 who help shape V&A events and content, whilst gaining inspiring insight into creative careers, the museum sector, and skills development opportunities.
Youth Collective recruitment will reopen in August 2026.
Apply for the V&A Youth Collective here
If you have any questions regarding this opportunity, your eligibility, or access related queries please email youngpeople@vam.ac.uk.
CREATIVE CAREERS AT SOMERSET HOUSE
CREATIVE CAREERS AT SOMERSET HOUSE
Somerset House’s careers development programme, Upgrade Yourself, offers a range of opportunities to support access to jobs and professional development in the creative sector.
As London’s Working Arts Centre, Somerset House’s extensive creative community of artists, makers, producers, and creative businesses provides opportunities and clear career pathways to future generations of talent across the creative sector. Our aim is to make the workforce more representative of the society in which we live.
Our Upgrade Yourself: brings you innovative programming, to inform and connect you with our industry peers, to support and unlock your creative potential and ideas. By offering inspirational lunchtime talks delivered by high profile creative professionals, as well as engaging process-led workshops developed by industry insiders and facilitators, we can provide you with real-world context to focus your own creative career ambitions.
Led by members of the Somerset House creative community and external partners, these digital sessions primarily aimed at people aged 18-25 are for those looking for access routes into the Creative Industries and the Cultural Sector.
Creative Industry Placements
Creative Industry Placements
Future Artists Programme
Future Artists Programme
Upgrade Yourself Festival
Upgrade Yourself Festival
Upgrade Yourself Takeover
Upgrade Yourself Takeover
Upgrade Yourself Monthly
Upgrade Yourself Monthly
Our Career Development programmes offer a chance to those at an early-stage to join our resident creative community (Studios, Makerversity and Exchange including Black Business Residencies), and support their practice through opportunities to engage, participate, learn and grow. This includes bursaries, mentoring and our public platform.
Brinkworth - A global design company creating spaces that build strong connections between people and brands.
They are a team of multi-talented specialists including designers, architects, and engineers. Check them out! brinkworth.com
Brinkworth and London Met created a fabulous creative careers event in December 2021 for our schools - information and videos to share coming soon.
Let us know what you think about our online Exhibition!
Let us know what you think about our online Exhibition!
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