Want to get creative in the capital? Now's the time for teen spirit

From an early age, Leroy Davies-Richards has loved performing.

So much so that when it came to choosing what path to take after GCSEs, the teenager from south-west London decided to go with his passion and enrol on a performing and production arts diploma course at City of Westminster College, part of United Colleges Group.

In the past months, he has mastered stage combat under instruction from a trained professional, workshopped and performed a new play as part of the National Theatre’s Connections youth theatre festival and modelled in a photoshoot to publicise its 2025 scheme.

His proud mother is a carer — a direction he was considering before fixing on an arts course.

“I did drama at GCSE and my teacher was really encouraging,” said the 17-year-old.

“The grades to get in to sixth form were high, so I decided to go further from home and explore. I suppose I’m a part-time rapper and a part-time actor and I thought the college course would be more practical and it is. It’s all about skills and opportunities.”

Leroy is hoping to ride the wave of the boom in our creative industries, which grew by nearly seven per cent in 2022 to reach a value of £124.6billon, outpacing most other sectors of the economy.

Employment in this powerhouse industry is expected to see continued growth up until at least 2030.

“The creative industries are in a strong position, which is good news for the youngsters going into them,” said Claire Shapland, director of creative careers at University for the Creative Arts (UCA), with campuses in Canterbury, Epsom and Farnham.

Behind-the-camera and backroom roles are multiplying, from crew jobs to digital roles in marketing, media and design. Trend forecasting, data and analytics and sustainability in fashion, for instance, are all growth areas.

Ruby Harvey, a make-up and hair design student at Southampton Solent University, has worked at London Fashion Week and will gain invaluable experience at Graduate Fashion Week next month.

“I’m working with industry models, creating looks that the stylist wants, and adding to my portfolio,” she says. “It’s a pressurised industry. The fact that we have the chance to learn that before leaving university is gold dust really.”

Southampton Solent, UCA, Unity Colleges Group — and London’s new hip hop college Academy Breakin’ Convention, part of Sadler’s Wells East — are included in a stellar line-up of universities and colleges that are showcasing their courses at the Step Up Expo next month.

The two-day event, at London Olympia, is the only London show that puts academic and practical subjects, training, apprenticeships and potential careers under one roof, with the aim of helping young Londoners — and their parents — to think about their futures and what move to make once they finish school.

For 2024, Step Up is hosting FORMA, the creative arts show, bringing together world-leading courses in fashion, fine art, graphic communication, digital arts, gaming design, architecture, interior design, performance, film and TV and more.

Young people can get expert feedback from experienced tutors and academics from a range of institutions, including Arts University Plymouth, University of West London, Reading University and Condé Nast College of Fashion and Design.

FORMA’s range of experts can also help reassure parents that in an industry characterised by freelance and contract work, there are more secure options, including creative jobs in non-creative sectors.

Elena Gruber, a UCA architecture graduate working at [Y/N] Studio, an award-winning architecture practice in north London, chose the subject because it combines creativity with security.

“I like being organised and following a path,” says the 22-year-old.

“Within the creative industries, I think architecture is the most secure, straightforward career to follow. At UCA, tutors are industry experts and also work for practises in London, so that really helps with networking.”

Whatever creative careers young people are considering, the market is uber competitive, so having the best intel to make the right choices is vital.

“Not everybody can be, or wants to be, a top end designer,” said Shapland.

“But through our business school, you might want to study fashion business management, for instance. What we talk about here is a ‘sustainable creative life’ that works for you not just in terms of your passion, but financially too.”

Join us at the Evening Standard’s Step Up Expo on June 28-29, 2024, at London Olympia. For more information and free tickets, visit stepupexpo.co.uk.