The Skills Gap Nobody's Talking About, and Why It Matters for UK Actors

A recent report from Boston Consulting Group, The Next Act: A Vision for the UK’s Creative Future, paints a complicated picture. On one hand, the UK’s creative industries are thriving—£94 billion in value last year alone. On the other, there’s a growing gap between the skills the sector needs, and the ones many emerging professionals are graduating with.

For actors, this raises important questions. Not just about training, but about the industry we’re entering, the stories we’re telling, and the tools we need to do the work.

A Changing Landscape

Acting has always evolved. From the stage to the screen, from live performance to digital platforms. But the pace of that change has accelerated, and in many cases, training hasn’t kept up.

Streaming dominates. Self-tapes are standard. Auditions happen over Zoom. And yet, many actors still graduate with little or no screen experience. There’s a disconnect—and it’s costing people opportunities.

Technology We Don’t Yet Understand

Artificial intelligence is already impacting how content is made. Voice synthesis, deepfakes, digital doubles—these aren’t future threats, they’re current tools. And while the technology continues to evolve, many performers are being asked to sign contracts that include clauses about AI without fully understanding the implications.

This lack of clarity isn’t just technical, it’s about rights, consent, and creative agency. Equity’s AI Toolkit is an important starting point. It offers guidance on what to look out for in contracts, how to protect your voice and likeness, and what your legal rights are when AI is involved.

As actors, we need more than just awareness, we need training that helps us engage with these tools confidently and critically. Because if we don’t understand what we’re signing away, someone else will benefit from our work without our permission.

The Pressure to Be More Than a Performer

Alongside all this, actors today are expected to be content creators, marketers, editors, and entrepreneurs. Many of us are navigating a freelance system without being taught how to work within it. That doesn’t just create stress, it limits who can afford to pursue this work in the first place.

It’s not enough to say “that’s just the way it is.” The systems we build, and the training we offer, have to respond to that reality.

The Bigger Picture

This isn’t just about individual careers. It’s about who gets to be an actor, who feels welcome in the industry, and what kind of stories we make. There’s growing recognition that we need more diverse, regional, and authentic voices. But access still feels uneven, especially outside major cities.

If training doesn’t reflect the reality of the industry, or the diversity of the people in it, we have to ask: who is it really for?

Where We Go From Here

The skills gap isn’t a failure of individual actors, it’s a structural issue. But we can choose how we respond. As teachers, mentors, collaborators, and artists, we can adapt. We can question old assumptions. And we can shape training that feels honest, useful, and connected to the world we’re working in.

No one knows exactly what acting will look like ten years from now. But the actors we’re training today deserve the best possible preparation for whatever’s coming.

Sources: Boston Consulting Group. (2024). The Next Act: A Vision for the UK’s Creative Future. https://web-assets.bcg.com/43/52/82aafde64d1cb960520309389e6a/the-next-act-a-vision-for-the-uks-creative-future.pdf