2. Introduction

1.Executive Summary

Halpin was engaged by LAMDA to carry out research to understand the different career pathways taken by their graduates and to establish ways in which the School could support students to develop entrepreneurial skills to improve their employability. Funding was provided by the Commercial Education Trust (CET).

The project involved a consideration of the career challenges faced by performing arts graduates and analysis of the concepts.

Interviews with key LAMDA staff A desk review of published guidance or research into entrepreneurship within the creative sector Benchmarking with competitor institutions Interviews with LAMDA alumni Interviews with Deutsche Bank Award mentors Focus groups with current LAMDA students

The methodology included:

Our findings have concluded that the reality of post-graduation career journeys is markedly different from the expectations and hopes of current students. High proportions of acting graduates are no longer active in the industry and others combine intermittent acting work with other employment. We identified that the first 12 months after graduation is particularly challenging because of a lack of practical and emotional support, and that there are several factors which are likely to help graduates in building and sustaining their careers. These include industry and business awareness, the ability to transition, and access to funding.

We established that there are a number of opportunities for LAMDA to use the development of entrepreneurial skills to increase employability. A cultural shift is needed across the School to recognise a wider set of career paths as equally valid to a performing arts route, and additional resources are needed to ensure students have additional guidance to prepare them for

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Nine Night, July 2020. Photography by Joseph Lynn.

successful careers in related roles or sectors. They also need increased exposure to the full breadth of performing arts careers, including the opportunity for work placements in a variety of settings.

It has become clear that students and alumni are largely uncomfortable with the terms ‘enterprise’ and ‘entrepreneurship’ within the creative world. We found that there were both alumni and students who were interested in creating their own work, but it was largely for creative satisfaction rather than any commercial intent. As such, very few LAMDA students expect to become entrepreneurs. However, most recognise the value of developing the skills of thinking like an entrepreneur, realising that skills such as problem-solving and adaptability can help them to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

We’ve therefore made a number of recommendations on the ways in which students can develop these skills. These include using the process of creating their own work and greater involvement with ‘live’ business venture projects, where they have to navigate through a myriad of problems and identify, evaluate and implement the solutions. We have also identified that additional investment is needed in managing the LAMDA alumni community, both to increase engagement and to measure the success of any employability strategy.

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