Lights, Camera, Impact: The Power of the Discover! Creative Careers Partnership
- Report launch
- Feb 12
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 25
Futures For All’s Speakers for Schools programme recently collaborated with Discover! Creative Careers (led by ScreenSkills) to inspire the next generation of UK talent and open doors to the creative industries for students from every background.
17 Talks
716 School/College registrations from across the UK
11,429 attendees impacted
53% of all registrations were from ‘priority areas’
(ScreenSkills identified priority areas where students have historically faced barriers to entry or lacked access to creative industry resources, ensuring our sessions reached those who would benefit most).
Throughout November 2025, we gave students an ‘all-access’ pass to a series of virtual sessions led by industry experts across architecture, music, film, fashion, and more. The feedback, detailed below and in the full report, shows how these sessions introduced young people to roles they hadn't considered within the creative industries, and showed almost 11,500 state school students that creative careers are both an exciting prospect and very real possibility.
From Ezra Collective founder Femi Koleoso to BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip, our speakers demystified the creative sector and brought it to life, showcasing the diversity of roles available. Through sharing their professional journeys and personal experiences, young people learned exactly what it takes to thrive in the industry.
Attendees found the Q&A segments particularly useful, highlighting how their interactions with industry experts expanded their horizon and helped them visualise their own future in the arts.
“The Future in Fashion talk was an interesting and inspiring talk about the many creative and academic routes you can follow within the Textiles and Fashion industry to flourish in a career in fashion.”
Young person, Discover Your Future in Fashion & Textiles with UKFT
“Campaigns like Discover Creative Careers play a vital role in giving young people meaningful access to the creative industries. By offering real insight into what these careers look like in practice, they help young people see the creative industries as a genuine and achievable pathway.”
Alice Welsh, Skills and Training Manager, UK Fashion and Textile Association
Impact and Outcomes
We tracked student knowledge and awareness before and after each session, using a 5-point scale (where 5 is ‘very knowledgeable’).
The results show the power of connecting young people with industry experts. Even amongst students who already had high levels of interest and knowledge, we saw measurable growth, proving that these sessions provided the deeper clarity needed for these students to confidently navigate their future careers.
Explore the full impact report for a session-by-session breakdown on how student knowledge and interest was impacted by the talks.
“We need more young people to consider careers in the creative industries to bring fresh ideas and innovation, align talent with the growth of the sector, and meet the rising demand for creative skills. This will help ensure the industry remains vibrant and thriving into the future.”
Sam Lane, Youth Dance Manager, One Dance UK
Futures For All are thankful to our brilliant partners ScreenSkills and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for championing this mission. We are honoured to have delivered these vital sessions that reinforce the fact that creative skills, including problem-solving and self-expression, form the foundation for the innovative thinking needed in the arts, as well as in every sector.
Together, we have provided thousands of young people with the inspiration to pursue their potential in any industry and are showing the next generation that there is truly no limit to what they can achieve.
Read the full impact report
Explore the feedback from each of the sessions in our Discover! Creative Careers impact report.
Read the GOV.UK Press release
Discover Speakers for Schools: https://www.futuresforall.org/speakers-for-schools
View the Futures For All 2024/25 impact report https://www.futuresforall.org/our-impact
