This blog has kindly been provided by Matt Dowling, CEO of the Freelancers Club.
Something remarkable has happened.
Shining bright in the latest government Creative Industries Sector Plan was a line so many of us have been waiting years to read: freelancers are the backbone of the UK’s creative economy.
Not an afterthought. Not a footnote. The backbone.
And more than that – we’re getting a Freelance Champion. A voice at the highest level tasked with representing the UK’s freelance workforce.
Now, before we pop the champagne, let’s be clear: recognition is not the same as reform. Naming the problem isn’t solving it. But this moment matters. For every student navigating side-hustles and self-employment. For every graduate building a career from project work. For every educator who’s ever asked, “How do I teach something the system barely acknowledges?”
Because now we have a new question: what are we going to do with this moment?
A Skills Pipeline on the Brink
The government’s objectives are clear: rebuild a fragile creative skills pipeline, align education with industry needs, and make real progress on diversity.
The plan includes:
● A new Creative Careers Service (£9 million investment)
● A National Centre for Arts and Music Education
● Flexible training routes including HTQs and short-form apprenticeships
● And most significantly for us: a promise that freelancers will be considered at every stage of future planning.
That means it’s not just about jobs. It’s about gig work, portfolio careers, project-based income, and a world where young people are more likely to start out as freelancers than employees.
If that doesn’t shift the dial on how we prepare students for the working world, I don’t know what will.
We Can’t Teach the Future Using Frameworks from the Past
It’s never nice to read that education hasn’t caught up, particular as we witness firsthand how stretched educators are and the restrictions many face.
But there are easy wins that have the potential to make big differences.
For starters, we still treat freelancing like an edge case. Something to mention in a careers fair PowerPoint, or squeeze into a final-year optional module. And yet it’s the reality for thousands of students – especially in the creative disciplines (nearly half of all creative jobs, in fact).
Our assessments, learning outcomes, and employability strategies still lean heavily towards traditional employment. But that’s not the only model anymore. In many sectors, it’s not even the dominant one.
When students step into the creative industries, they’re not looking for jobs – they’re building on their passion. Whether they’re dancers, designers, performers, producers, writers or makers, most start out freelance. They’ll need to understand contracts, cashflow, client management, IP rights, digital marketing, and how to protect themselves legally and financially.
That’s not “niche.” That’s table stakes.
And right now, too many students are graduating into that world underprepared, under-supported, and out of their depth.
Freelance Education is Employability Education
The government’s new direction is a wake-up call. But it’s also an invitation – to us, the educators – to step up and take ownership of this space.
We can’t wait for policy to trickle down. We must lead.
That means:
● Embedding freelance education into the core curriculum – not just creative enterprise electives.
● Resourcing careers and enterprise teams to support self-employed pathways with as much rigour as startup or employment routes.
● Partnering with organisations who already have the tools, training and real-world expertise to bridge the gap.
● And above all, designing systems that reflect the world students are walking into – not the one we wish still existed.
This Is a Movement, Not a Moment
The appointment of a Freelance Champion is a start. But cultural change doesn’t come from government alone. It comes from us — the educators, advisors, programme leads, deans, and directors — who shape student experiences every day.
It comes from rejecting the outdated hierarchy that puts employment on a pedestal and treats freelancing like a fallback plan.
It comes from listening to the student with the Etsy shop, the graduate makeup artist working weddings on weekends, the photographer picking up work through Freelancer Club just to pay the rent.
They are already freelancers. We just haven’t given them the language, legitimacy, or support they deserve.
The Future Is Freelance. Let’s Act Like It.
At Freelancer Club, we’re ready. From freelance bootcamps and coaching to strategic partnerships with universities, we’re building models that meet students where they are – and where they’re going.
To the educators reading this: now is your moment. Freelancing is no longer a side-note in workforce strategy. It’s front and centre.
Let’s stop treating it like Plan B.
Let’s start preparing students for the careers they’re actually building.
And let’s do it before we fail another generation of creative talent.
Freelancer Club works with universities to embed freelance skills, coaching, and policy into Higher Education. If your institution is ready to take the lead, we’d love to hear from you.