Museums and young people’s creative careers

This report examines the information and support needs experienced by young people who wish to pursue creative careers and the actual and potential role of museums in filling these needs. Based on a four-year mixed methods study and an interdisciplinary literature review, the report provides information about the process of career choice, influencers and support needs as experienced by young people. The core concern is shedding light on how museums might (re)calibrate their support offer so that they can better respond to young people’s interests and needs. This concern is captured in a segmentation study which identified five career status profiles or personas representing young people with close characteristics regarding career choice and the career progression stage in which they find themselves. Each of the five personas – The Selector, The Multifaceted Creative, The Decided, The Switcher and The Explorer – also display related needs for career information, guidance and support, and can be used for designing and testing the relevance of future museum programmes for young people interested in creative careers.