Young people across the UK are set to benefit from strengthened industry backing for the Government’s Youth Guarantee, with the TV and film sector playing a key role in expanding pathways into creative careers.
Buckinghamshire College Group Principal and CEO, Jenny Craig, represented the college at a roundtable hosted by Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden at Pinewood Studios, Europe’s leading studio complex.
The discussion brought together major industry organisations, including Netflix, Disney and Vue International, to explore how employers can help create more opportunities for young people entering the sector.
The roundtable took place alongside Pinewood’s annual Futures Festival, the UK’s largest free film and TV careers event. More than 4,500 young people attended to discover the wide range of roles available across the screen industries and to speak directly with employers, professionals, and training providers about routes into the sector.
Industry leaders shared how they are already expanding opportunities for young people, particularly through programmes that combine hands‑on experience with high‑quality training. This aligns with the Youth Guarantee, which aims to ensure every 18–21‑year‑old has access to a guaranteed job, work experience, or training opportunity.
Production spending in the UK reached £5.6 billion in 2024, highlighting the rapid growth of the creative industries and the increasing need for skilled talent. However, a national skills gap remains. Strengthening pathways for young people is key to sustaining the UK’s position as a global leader in film and television.
Pinewood Group continues to lead the way through its Behind the Screen programme, delivered in partnership with Jobcentre Plus. The scheme provides paid six‑month placements for individuals currently out of work, helping them gain valuable experience and a first step into the industry. Pinewood has now become a Youth Guarantee Supporter, joining a growing list of national organisations committed to helping young people earn or learn.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said: "With almost a million young people not in education, employment or training, we need to create pathways of opportunity and help them build careers."
Jenny Craig, Principal and CEO, Buckinghamshire College Group, said: "Buckinghamshire College Group fully supports the Youth Guarantee and its mission to ensure that every young person can access high‑quality training, work experience, and pathways into skilled employment. Our college works hand‑in‑hand with employers across the film and TV industries—as well as other priority sectors—to co-design and co-deliver provision that directly reflects industry need.
"This close collaboration ensures that our students, whether they are young people, apprentices, or adults upskilling and reskilling, leave us with the skills, behaviours, and real‑world experience to thrive in the workplace. The Youth Guarantee strengthens this work by expanding opportunities for funded training and employer‑led experiences, helping us collectively build the workforce of the future."
The Youth Guarantee forms part of a broader government commitment to supporting young people into education, training, and employment. Investment includes the creation of thousands of new training places, work experience opportunities, and guaranteed jobs for long‑term unemployed young adults, alongside a national review of barriers affecting young people’s access to work.
