Unemployed people on benefits are to be given training on how to make content such as videos and graphics for social media platforms like TikTok or Instagram to help them get jobs, The i Paper can reveal.
The idea is to provide them with the skills to use social media and digital marketing in a professional capacity, like a so-called “influencers”, and help them break into creative industries.
It is part of a government drive to improve employment support and advice for people out of work and claiming benefits.
Writing in The i Paper, the Minister for Skills Jacqui Smith said: “The next generation of creative talent that will define British culture, drive our economy, and tell our stories is in our classrooms right now,” but added: “breaking into the creative industry can be incredibly tough” for many people.
Influencers are individuals who draw in tens of thousands or millions of followers on social media platforms showcasing their skills – which can range from applying make up to baking – using videos, graphics and music.
The scheme has been launches as a new creative arm of the an employment initiative known as ‘Swap’ ( Sector-based Work Academy Programmes), which offer six-week placements for over-16s on unemployment benefits, with a guaranteed job interview at the end.
It will focus on social media content creation and branding, using graphic design tools, putting together a creative brief and making a portfolio.
The industry is a “powerhouse sector” in the UK, with creative professionals contributing over £120 billion to the UK economy, Smith said.
“SWAPs participants earn on average £1,400 more by getting involved and connect businesses wishing to hire with talented candidates,” she added.
Smith said the government will also be “working with major organisations like Channel 4 and the Royal Shakespeare Company to build better pathways into creative jobs and help young people develop the right skills to help them progress further”.
The government is working directly with employers to focus on roles that are being currently hired for in the creative industry.
Ministers have promised to reduce the number of young people not in employment, education or training, known as “neets”, the proportion of which has been rising since 2021.
The number of so-called “neets” aged 16 to 24 is more than 940,000, a rate of almost 13 per cent, Office for National Statistics figures showed last week.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said the figure was “far too high” and pointed to the government’s youth guarantee scheme – which will offer welfare claimants training or placements – as being part of his plan to tackle this issue.
McFadden is also considering plans to restrict the availability of the universal credit health element, paid to those out of work due to sickness, for those under the age of 22.
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The measure is part of a package of welfare reforms proposed to tackle economic inactivity among young people which is, in part, driven by worsening health.
Any changes would come alongside the government’s “youth guarantee” policy in which ministers pledged to guarantee paid work or training for every young person who has been on Universal Credit for 18 months without being in education or employment.
Anyone who refuses to take up the offer of a placement could face having their benefits cut.
We must give young people the chance to flourish
The next generation of creative talent that will define British culture, drive our economy, and tell our stories is in our classrooms right now.
It is a powerhouse sector, with the creative industries contributing over £120 billion to the UK economy. It drives innovation, creates jobs, and showcases British talent on the global stage.
However, for many people, breaking into the creative industry can be incredibly tough. We must give them the chance to flourish.
To make that first step easier, we have launched the first creative industry Sector-based Work Academy Programme – or SWAP – focused on social media and digital content creation.
SWAPs offer jobseekers a work placement in their chosen career and a guaranteed interview with an employer. Participants earn on average £1,400 more by getting involved – making them a fantastic route to kickstart a new career.
They show what is possible when we unlock opportunities in roles that have traditionally felt out of reach.
SWAPs give people the skills that employers need, while connecting businesses with talented candidates.
November marks National Creative Careers Month, a time to recognise people like Kehinde, who previously struggled to gain practical experience and professional connections in the industry, before she joined the Creative Digital SWAP.
Within a month of completing the course, she developed industry networks while learning valuable creative skills. Now part of a creative talent pool offering contract work, she is building up her portfolio and advancing her career.
We’re also working with major organisations like Channel 4 and the Royal Shakespeare Company to build better pathways into creative jobs and help young people develop the right skills to help them progress further.
By ensuring young people from all backgrounds can access training such as content creation, branding and design workshops through programmes like SWAPs, we’re going above and beyond to strengthen the creative sector.
I believe in a Britain where talent and hard work matter more than a postcode or your parents’ profession.
Where a young person in Birmingham with a passion for digital content has the same chance to succeed as anyone else. Where we can harness our nation’s creativity and potential, or where the freedom to pursue a career is open to everyone.
The young people who have already completed the first creative SWAPs have shown what’s possible when we open doors.
When we unlock creativity, we unlock potential. And Britain has potential in abundance.
Jacqui Smith MP is Minister for Skills
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