News | London From an early age, Leroy Davies-Richards has loved performing. So much so that when it came to choosing what path to take after GCSEs, the teenager from south-west London decided to go with his passion and enrol on a performing and production arts diploma course at City of Westminster College, part of United Colleges Group. In the past months, he has mastered stage combat under instruction from a trained professional, workshopped and performed a new play as part of the National Theatre’s Connections youth theatre festival and modelled in a photoshoot to publicise its 2025 scheme.
His proud mother is a carer — a direction he was considering before fixing on an arts course. “I did drama at GCSE and my teacher was really encouraging,” said the 17-year-old. “The grades to get in to sixth form were high, so I decided to go further from home and explore.
I suppose I’m a part-time rapper and a part-time actor and I thought the college course would be more practical and it is. It’s all about skills and opportunities.” Leroy is hoping to ride the wave of the boom in our creative industries, which grew by nearly seven per cent in 2022 to reach a value of £124.
6billon, outpacing most other sectors of the economy. Employment in this powerhouse industry is expected to see continued growth up until at least 2030. “The creative industries are in a strong position, which is good news for the youngsters going into them,” said Claire Shapland, director of cre.
