The Andy Taylor Foundation has announced the launch of Foot in the Door Liverpool, a new training and work experience programme in collaboration with Liverpool Film Office and Liverpool’s Youth Guarantee Trailblazer scheme, designed to help young people who are not currently in education, employment or training (NEET) access careers in the rapidly growing digital media sector.
Launching this Autumn, the seven-week programme will support 12 Liverpool residents aged 18-21 through a combination of intensive skills training and work experience placements with leading employers across the region. The participants will be paid and supported by the foundation throughout.
The programme comes as recent figures from the Office for National Statistics show that more than one million young people aged 16-24 across the UK are now classed as NEET, while Alan Milburn’s government-commissioned Young People and Work review warned the country risks creating a “lost generation” unless urgent action is taken.
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The review found that 84% of young people classified as NEET want to work or train, challenging the perception that the issue is a lack of ambition. Instead, barriers such as limited networks, financial constraints and a lack of access to meaningful opportunities continue to prevent many talented young people from getting started.
Foot in the Door Liverpool has been designed to address those challenges directly. Participants will complete three weeks of industry-led training focused on confidence building, communication, teamwork, workplace behaviour and digital media skills, before progressing to four weeks of paid work experience placements with employers from across the media, creative and business sectors.
The programme is being delivered in partnership with key organisations including Big Egg Films, Hat Trick Productions, LA Productions, Lime Pictures’ L16 Digital, Liverpool Film Office, Liverpool Media Academy (LMA), Thrive, UniTemps and others.
Lara Taylor, founder of the Andy Taylor Foundation, said: “The statistics around youth unemployment and disengagement should be a wake-up call for all of us. We meet talented young people every day who have creativity, ambition and potential, but simply haven’t had the opportunities, networks or support needed to get started.
“Foot in the Door Liverpool is about changing that. By combining industry-led training with real workplace experience, we’re helping young people build confidence, develop valuable skills and create meaningful connections that can open doors to future careers.”
Shaun MacDonald, head of the Department of Work & Pensions Strategic Relations Team, described Foot in the Door as “one of the most exciting and unique work experience programme’s on our roster”.
The programme builds on the foundation’s successful Foot in the Door model, which has already helped young people secure employment opportunities within leading media organisations.
One former participant, Grace, joined the programme after struggling to break into the industry despite years of self-taught content creation and editing experience. During her placement she secured a permanent role with LADbible, where she remains today, having since earned promotions and company recognition for her work:
“Foot In The Door changed my life forever, not only in terms of my career as I’m in a job I dreamt of, but also in my confidence in my own skills and abilities. It also helped me meet friends and contacts that will last a lifetime,” she said.
Originally the idea of digital media pioneer Andy Taylor, co-founder of Little Dot Studios and a key figure at Channel 4 and All3 Media, the Andy Taylor Foundation exists to help young people from underrepresented backgrounds access opportunities in the creative industries through mentoring, bursaries, training, work experience and industry connections.
The foundation is currently inviting employers, industry partners and supporters to get involved in the programme and help create opportunities for the next generation of creative talent. For more information about Foot in the Door Liverpool, or to discuss partnership opportunities, visit www.andytaylorfoundation.org.
