Creative Skills Roundtable
Creative Skills roundtable, held at Leeds City College, Luminate Group on 19th March 2026
Creative skills were the focus of this week’s Skills Roundtable at Leeds City College, organised by West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce. Attendees included employers, education providers and public sector partners, including Digital Plus Ltd, Ingeus, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Leeds City Council, York St John University, So Contented and colleagues from Leeds City College.
The discussion focused on current and future creative skills needs in West Yorkshire, and how employers, providers and public bodies can work together to strengthen talent pipelines. These roundtables form a core part of employer engagement activity supporting the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP).
Creative skills were recognised as critical across all sectors, not just the creative industries, underpinning innovation, productivity and adaptability. The Creative sector is prioritised nationally and locally through the UK Industrial Strategy, West Yorkshire Growth Plan and Creative Industries Cluster Plan, with particular strengths in screen,
games, fashion, music, live events and immersive experiences. Key skills needs include digital production, AI, immersive technologies, technical craft skills, alongside business, IP and commercial skills, reflecting the high proportion of freelancers and SMEs.
Participants highlighted challenges around placements and early careers entry, particularly in subsectors such as theatre and live events, alongside the need for mid-career upskilling and talent retention. Leeds was noted for its strong arts, dance and film networks, with Luminate Group seeking to expand creative provision more widely across West Yorkshire through its provision at Keighley College.
Createch was identified as a major growth opportunity. Createch brings together creative industries and advanced digital technologies, including games and XR, screen and virtual production, digital design and VFX, music tech, creative software and the application of AI and data. Creative industries generate around £2.3bn GVA (3.1%) of the West Yorkshire economy and employ around 112,000 people, supported by a strong digital base of over 3,500 tech businesses in Leeds. West Yorkshire is recognised by DCMS as one of six national priority areas for the Creative Industries.
Leeds City College highlighted strong learner demand for creative media and digital courses, which are currently oversubscribed, alongside challenges recruiting specialist tutors. Employers raised concerns about graduate recruitment, citing increased employment costs and risk, and noted that targeted support for apprenticeships could help ease bottlenecks in the talent pipeline and support local retention of skills.
