Whether you choose to apply for jobs when you graduate or to branch out on your own, your Careers & Employability Team at Leeds Arts University will provide advice, guidance, events and workshops to prepare you for life after uni.

Excited about your future career in the creative industries? You should be. The latest government figures about employment in our sector prove this is a great place to work:

  • The creative sector is growing at twice the rate of the UK economy *
  • Creative businesses account for 11.8% of all businesses in the UK *
  • There are over 2m jobs in the Creative Industries **
  • The Creative Industries are worth £92bn (5.3% UK economy) *
  • Creative jobs are future proof, with 87% classed as no-to-low risk of automation **
  • Freelancing is growing across all sectors with around one in seven of the UK workforce being self-employed.*** Almost half (47%) of the people working within the Creative Industries are freelancers.****

Preparing for the world of work

Whatever you choose to do when you graduate, we’re committed to helping you maximise your chances of success. We’ll connect you with industry while you’re studying, and provide lots of opportunities to build the skills and experience you need for an impressive CV. We’ll also help you prepare for going freelance (becoming self-employed) or for finding just the right job and for developing your career once you’ve graduated.

Skills beyond creativity

We’ll also help you to develop an invaluable toolkit of transferable skills. These include teamwork, project management, problem-solving, self-motivation, time management, independent thought and decision-making. They’re just as important for freelancing as they are for working for an employer.

After you graduate

Even after you graduate, you could still use our facilities – either by joining our Creatives in Residence programmes or by applying for residency in one of our funded studio spaces. In addition, your Careers & Employability Team will still be available to you for up to three years following your graduation, with a range of activities and guidance to suit alumni including the Freelancer Summer School, Alumni workshops, and 1-2-1 careers guidance.

Find out more

For more information, contact Careers, Employability & Enterprise at careers@leeds-art.ac.uk. You can find details about everything Careers & Employability offer on the Careers Portal.

References

* Creative Industries record contribution to UK economy, Department for Culture, Media & Sport, November 2017
** Creative Industries Federation Statistics, CIF
*** Be Your Own Boss: The Definitive Guide, IPSE
**** Creative Freelancers, CIF