What 16-Year-Olds Can Teach the Industry About Its Own Future
At a glance: A coaching workshop for around 20 media students (16–18) at New City College, building industry-readiness through professionalism, confidence and communication skills. Scroll down for what students took away, and what this could offer your college or programme.
The room that changes everything
Most industry insight comes from people already in the room. This session flipped that - a workshop delivered in July 2026 for 20 media students at New City College's Ardleigh Green campus, aged 16–18, right at the point of deciding whether - and how - to break into production.
There's a particular energy in working with this age group. No caution built up from years in the industry, no guarded answers - just fresh eyes and unfiltered questions about what this career actually looks like. That honesty is exactly what made the session work.
What the session covered
Production & Professionalism took students through routes into the industry, on-set professionalism and etiquette (worked through with real-world scenario cards), and closed with confidence, resilience, and clear communication. Wellbeing content stayed entirely opt-in throughout - with a younger group, those themes tend to surface earlier and more openly than they do with working professionals, and this session was no exception.
Students left with a clearer sense of the different routes into a production career, practical tools for handling real on-set situations and one concrete, personal commitment toward their first role.
Why this matters for colleges, universities and training providers
A session like this does double duty: it builds genuine employability skills and it hands you a live signal of what the next generation entering your industry actually needs. It sits naturally alongside employability or personal development modules, runs in a safeguarding-conscious and age-appropriate way, and doesn't require you to source external work placements or industry panels to deliver real industry contact. It flexes from a single 2-3 hour session to a full-term programme, for cohorts of any size or experience level - see our Teams & Organisations page for programme options.
Want your students to have this same conversation? Get in touch to talk through options for your college or programme.
Emma Dobinson is the founder of Creative Reset, an EMCC-accredited coach with over 25 years' experience across production, education and development in the media industry. She works with individuals and organisations across the creative industries to build confidence, resilience and sustainable career growth.