The marketing industry is being urged to help fill the UK’s “experience gap” to ensure young people are not locked out of entry-level roles due to the lack of practical exposure, following this week’s report showing more than a million 16- to 24-year-olds are not in education, employment or training.
Former Health Secretary Alan Milburn’s “Young People and Work” report predicts that one in six young people will be so-called “Neets” in the next five years unless urgent action is taken, warning: “We are at risk of a lost generation.”
The Chartered Institute of Marketing says that the findings are both a challenge and an opportunity and is now calling for stronger industry engagement to help build a more sustainable talent pipeline, arguing that employers are actively seeking analytical, creative and digital skills, yet many young people struggle to access pathways into the profession.
CIM’s director of qualifications and partnerships Maggie Jones said: “This is a critical moment for tackling youth employment and skills. The data shows clearly that access to real-world experience is one of the biggest barriers facing young people today – not a lack of talent.
“Marketing is a sector where analytical and creative skills can be developed quickly through hands-on experience, and where employers are actively seeking digital-first talent. At the CIM, we’re focused on widening access through apprenticeships, accessible training, and initiatives like our Pitch competition and Marketing Club, which give young people direct exposure to real business challenges, strengthen their analytical thinking, and help build the next generation of business leaders.”
Marketing is an industry which has a below-average number of apprentices with only 15.9% of UK firms currently operating a marketing apprentice scheme last year, down from 20.6% in 2024 and 33.6% in 2023.
Earlier this month, the Advertising Association and Media Smart joined forces to promote the sector as an exciting and accessible career option for early career talent through the launch of a new virtual work experience programme, in partnership with careers and university experiences platform Springpod.
The move was in response to the fact that, while advertising industry supports 1.7 million jobs in the UK, data from The Sutton Trust shows only 35% of young people outside London know someone working in the creative industries.
Furthermore, the 2025 All In Census revealed that just 20% of the talent in the advertising workforce comes from a working-class background, compared to 40% of the UK working population. Creative UK’s 2025 report reinforced this challenge – those from lower socio-economic backgrounds (57%) and 18-24 year olds (54%) are less likely to view creative careers as viable.
At the time, Advertising Association commercial director and inclusion lead Sharon Lloyd Barnes said: “There are so many exciting places to work across the ad industry for every skill set, but little awareness of how to explore advertising as a career.
“Our ambition for this partnership is to make our next generation of talent aware of the variety of roles that are available to them, providing the opportunity to learn more about them in an engaging way, and supporting young people with meaningful experiences they can take to interviews or their first role.”
The CIM’s Jones concluded: “Expanding work placements is a positive step, but it must be matched with strong industry partnerships and structured skills development to ensure young people don’t just enter work – but go on to build sustainable, long-term careers and become tomorrow’s business leaders.”
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