At MWC, we are strong believers in the wide benefits of Arts Education, particularly for young people.
In December 2025, Trinity College, London published their white paper “Career-Ready: Bridging the Employability Skills and Confidence Gap” which explored the skills that matter most for work readiness and career success.
Their findings demonstrated that performance and creative education, covering music, drama and dance, enables and empowers young people, helping them to be better prepared and more confident in the work place.
Career-Ready: Bridging the Employability Skills and Confidence Gap – the research
Trinity College, London’s research explored the dual perspectives of Gen Z respondents aged 16 – 29 and secondary school educators covering all subject areas and from state, grammar and independent settings. This dual approach demonstrates where the two groups’ views align and where they differ.
The report refers to ‘performance and creative education' to encompass music, drama, dance, and visual arts – the Art forms explore in the research.
78% of the 1,538 Gen Z research participants were currently working while 22% were still in education. Both the state and independent sector were represented with 78% of participants from state school, which mirrors the UK sixth form demographics.
From these respondents, 65% of them had continued with some performance and creative education past the compulsory requirements with 26% learning a musical instrument, 20% taking part in drama, 19% involved in dance and 16% participating in a choir, band or other ensemble. The participants were studying a broad curriculum which included some performance and creative education.
In terms of the educator participants, 60% were classroom teachers and 40% were in senior leadership positions in secondary schools and colleges.
The Preparedness Gap – the findings
The white paper highlights that while 54% of the Gen Z respondents felt they were ready for the workplace, only 48% of educators believe students are prepared for work when leaving education. One of the challenges highlighted by the paper is that job requirements are shifting and so the work force need to be able to adapt with transferable skills.
The report demonstrates a contrast between the views of Gen Z respondents who are classes a performance and creative arts students compared to those who do not study these areas.
Fig. 1 The performance and creative education advantage
Workplace skills needed
Of the Gen Z respondents, 47% considered communication as the top skill needed for careers success for the next decade, followed by collaboration, teamwork, problem solving and critical thinking. This needs to be considered within the context of the workplace anxieties identified by these participants.
85% of the educator participants stated that performance and creative education develops communication and social fluency, agreeing that these areas are developed through drama (84%), music (74%) and dance (74%).
Once in work, some respondents’ anxieties in these areas reduced, however of the participants in work, one in five still stated that working with people they did not know was a challenge. A similar number identified small talk causing anxiety and a quarter of these respondents identified speaking on the telephone as a challenge.
For the educators, communication is an area that can be, and is assessed, however assessing social fluency can be difficult in a classroom setting.
While it is difficult for teachers to document skills such as social fluency, it is also challenging for employers to assess candidates abilities during the recruitment process.
The report states:
“This highlights why structured performing arts education with formal assessments that integrate transferable life skills development are essential when selecting education programmes and qualifications.”
Fig. 2 Top communications and social fluency workplace anxieties for Gen Z that are still in education
The “Confidence Shield”
Fig. 3 Performance and creative education acts as a confidence shield
The report suggests that students who have accessed performance and creative education have a “confidence shield” developed by their experience in the Arts.
In some areas the difference in anxiety levels between performance and creative education students and non-performance and creative education students is quite substantial. With performance and creative education students feeling more confident in areas such as sharing different opinions, presenting work, working with unknown people and speaking up.
The report states:
“Students who continue with music, drama, and dance education, alongside other subjects, have less workplace anxiety, stronger confidence in their transferable skills, and greater readiness for the transition from study to work.”
The research also highlights the differences in anxiety levels in these areas for young men and young women, demonstrating young women, in particular, are anxious in areas that could be developed through engagement with performance and creative education.
Teachers' responses demonstrate their belief that performance and creative education can support in these areas, with 84% believing that drama education develops communication and 78% believing that it develops social fluency. Music, drama and dance all give students the opportunity to receive structured feedback and take part in public presentation.
Fig. 4 Gender differences in workplace anxieties
Teamwork and collaboration
When considering the skills needed in the workplace, teamwork and collaboration are seen by Gen Z to be important for their careers and 65% of the respondents felt very confident about their own teamwork skills, however only 54% feel confident in their leadership abilities.
The report identifies that teachers see the benefits of performance and creative education in developing these skills, with 87% of respondents stating that creative education builds teamworking skills and 78% believing that it builds leadership and influencing skills. These can be developed through ensemble work and group performances.
Problem solving or creativity?
The report identifies an interesting point about use of language regarding the skills needed in the workplace. 42% of the Gen Z respondents identified problem solving as a key skill for careers success, but only 35% prioritise creativity as important for their career. Seemingly students do not link creativity with problem solving, however teachers see creative activities as “analytical skill-building in action”. Teachers understand that performance preparation and delivery requires decision-making under pressure, considering others’ views, clear communication while working to a deadline - all areas that require help with problem solving.
This view was backed up by the findings that students who continue with performance and creative education reported higher confidence in their own creative abilities and problem solving than those who had stopped performance and creative education. The report states:
“This confidence advantage suggests that the repeated experience of navigating creative challenges - where there's rarely one "right" answer - builds comfort with ambiguity and analytical thinking that transfers directly to workplace problem-solving.”
Resilience
The research demonstrated that Gen Z identify the importance of resilience and teachers believe that performance and creative education provides occasions to build resilience:
“Learning a new piece of music, preparing for a performance and assessment, or working through choreography all require students to persist through difficulty, accept imperfect attempts and develop tolerance for setback. The structured feedback cycles common to music, drama, and dance normalise learning from setbacks as part of progress rather than failure.”
However resilience is difficult to assess both in the classroom and in the recruitment process, creating a challenge for employers.
Ensuring students are workplace ready
Although the research identified the value of transferable skills, 92% of the teacher respondents stated that schools need to do more to teach and develop these skills. The report identifies some of the challenges educators face to including the areas identified in Figure 5.
However 87% of teachers agree that performance and creative arts education support the development of teamwork and communication skills. The report states:
"This evidence underscores how creative subjects are not peripheral but central to developing the human capabilities that underpin employability and lifelong learning."
One of the difficulties educators face is the challenge of measuring transferable skills such as resilience and leadership, however as the report identifies:
“performance-based learning provides authentic opportunities to observe and evaluate these competencies in action through rehearsals, feedback cycles, live presentations, recorded performances and specialist qualifications.
Performance builds resilience through repeated practice under realistic conditions. Students must remember lyrics, lines, and technical details while knowing their performance may be imperfect, overrun, or require repetition. This creates environments where resilience develops naturally.
Students learn to pivot when things go wrong, iterate until they improve, pick up from any given point, and treat mistakes as normal parts of learning rather than failures. These recovery skills - alongside the confidence to keep going despite setbacks - transfer directly to workplace challenges.”
The challenge of students being prepared for work is not just an issue in the UK. The OECD’s 2025 report, The State of Global Teenage Career Preparation, identifies that there is concern among students internationally, and students are now expressing very high levels of career uncertainty and confusion. The report states that many students are exhibiting considerable anxiety about their career preparation.
Fig. 5 Teacher-reported barriers to developing transferable life skills
Key Findings
The report summarises it’s findings in the various performance and creative education areas:
“Drama education gives young people frequent chances to practise public speaking, listening, turn taking, and stepping into unfamiliar roles. This maps directly to the anxieties Gen Z report before transitioning to the workplace, such as small talk, sharing views and making phone calls with people they don’t know. Teachers report drama is particularly effective for building communication and social confidence.”
“ Dance education offers a complementary pathway to developing workplace-ready skills through physical expression and ensemble coordination. Where drama develops verbal and emotional communication, dance builds spatial awareness, precision, and non-verbal team dynamics. Teachers confirm dance education’s contribution to workplace readiness.”
And, of course, music education:
“Our research shows music education develops the very capabilities employers say they need: adaptability, collaboration, creative thinking and resilience. Whether through ensemble performance, graded assessments or digital music creation, students gain sustained, high-stakes practice in real-world skills. These are not extras. They are core.”
As the report states:
“The solutions are practical and achievable. The message is simple. When education systems prioritise and invest in performance and creative learning, they are investing in the life skills that employers worldwide value most.”
Further Reading
Share this post: