Outreach is the fix to the talent crisis

From our Outreach Manager, Samuel Conley .

There is a paradox taking place in the creative industries in the UK. In the midst of what is being dubbed an across-the-board ‘talent crisis ’ by some creative professionals, businesses and individuals are still mostly doing the bare minimum in terms of engaging new talent at the appropriate time.

According to research conducted by ERIC , a creative industry careers app for Gen Z, only 2% of companies reach out and engage with 14 - 18 year-olds when they are in school, sixth form or college. This age bracket is of course a key time in a young person’s education; it’s the period where they choose the GCSE subjects, A Levels, and university courses that play a key part in defining the career trajectory on which they will end up.

With a distinct lack of engagement from creative businesses at this stage, it’s no wonder there’s a block in the pipeline. If young people at schools and colleges are not aware of the breadth of career options available to them in the creative industries, then how are they meant to get excited about, train for, and eventually add value to these fields?

As a college careers advisor before I worked at CMN, I have experienced firsthand the difficulty in trying to get professional creative organisations to engage in education. Most companies seem to think of outreach as something that would be ‘nice to do if we had the time’, but fail to see the benefits it could provide in terms of recruitment pipeline and attracting new talent to their doors.

Thankfully, there are things you can do on both a personal and organisational level to help change this trend. With schools, colleges and universities reopening in September now is a great time to think about how you could share your industry knowledge in the coming year.?

By trying out some of the following ideas, you can help to broaden the understanding of creative career options available to young people post-education.

1. Get involved with your local community

One way in which you can connect with young talent is through the schools that you are in close proximity to. A quick Google search will give you the names of all the local secondary schools and colleges in your area, along with contact details. Simply phoning them up / emailing and explaining that you want to engage with their careers provision will start a conversation and they will provide you with options of ways in which you can get involved. Schools are mandated by OFSTED to provide a quality careers programme, so if anything they should be delighted to hear from you!

As part of CMN’s Outreach, we partner with state schools and colleges to provide workshops, talks and assemblies about the creative industries and benefits of mentorship. I’m always looking for mentors to join me on these talks, so if this is something you’d like to try, please get in touch.

2. Become a mentor

A one-to-one mentoring relationship with a young person can be one of the most rewarding things you do in your professional career. Allowing a young person access to your world can be revolutionary for them in helping them decide what they want to do. Our programmes match professionals with young people directly and give you the training you need to support them effectively.

If mentoring is something you’d like to give a go, you can click here to find out more.

3. Open your doors for workplace experiences

As part of their careers guidance programmes, all schools and colleges are expected to provide their students with workplace experiences. Whilst ‘work experience’ is the traditional form of this, schools also find huge benefit in companies opening their doors (even if it’s only half a day) so students can visit and get what is often their first look at what the world of work looks like in action.

This is a great way to give back to your local community and welcome potential new talent through your doors. You could do a tour of your offices, and have individuals from key departments give a five-minute talk on what they do day-to-day.?

If you wanted to go further, you could then look at offering a student a one or two-week placement for a deeper insight into what you do.

4. Become an enterprise advisor with your local Careers Hub

The London Careers Hub scheme (organised by the London Assembly) connects schools and colleges with employers and entrepreneurs so that all young Londoners can be better informed of the career options available to them.

They do this by recruiting ‘Enterprise Advisers’, who are volunteers from businesses who help bridge the gap between education and employment by working directly with school careers advisors.

There is a distinct lack of uptake of this opportunity from professionals in the creative industries. Could you be someone who helps to change this??You can find out more about how to get involved here.

5. Advertise entry-level roles where young people can see them

If you are recruiting for entry-level positions at your company, it’s important to share these in spaces that have the eyes of young people on them. If you’re looking to attract diverse talent, you have to switch up the places you are advertising.

A great start is our very own Jobsboard . We share these roles directly with our mentee community, which is now over 1000 strong, and with our wider network of over 10,000 people.?

You can also share roles directly with colleges and universities, which will have hungry and talented course-leavers and alumni looking for their next start.

6. Share industry-specific information with schools

With the creative industries ever growing and changing, it’s near impossible for career advisors to keep up with the newest industry-specific trends and information across the board.

Do you have access to working resources that you can share? An example would be ‘dummy’ briefs, so students can see what a real-world work assignment is like. Whether these are made up, or real briefs with client names taken out, seeing these can be beneficial to help young people prepare for the types of tasks they’ll be expected to complete as creative professionals.?

I am currently looking for more briefs to deliver through our own CMN workshops, so if you have any to share, please get in touch!

7. Turn up at a careers fairs

Throughout the year there are lots of career fair events that take place internally at schools, colleges and universities.

When I attend careers fairs through my role with CMN, I often find that I’m the ONLY representative from the creative industries. These are key spaces where you can engage with young people, let them know about your industry and the routes in. Schools are always keen to have as many different professionals at these events as possible, and they are free to attend, so there’s no excuse not to try one!

I’d like to wrap this up with one of our favourite sayings at CMN:?

“You can’t be what you can’t see” - Marian Wright Edelman

There is a chronic lack of show from the creative industries in state schools in the UK. I do believe that trying out even one of the above ideas will put your organisation on the frontline of youth engagement, and help inform young people about the options available. By increasing your visibility and having a presence, you will be doing your part to inspire the next generation of diverse talent into your industry.