This year's A Level and GCSE results remind us that the take up of arts subjects in our schools and universities remains at an all-time low. We know that talent is not limited to those areas where children and young people have excellent access to the arts and creative learning initiatives. Our work in areas of structural disadvantage all over the country reminds us time and again that talent is everywhere. It's the opportunities that aren't.
Working in partnership with over 280 schools and a network of theatre partners nationwide through our Associate Schools Programme, we offer thousands of children and young people access to arts experiences and opportunities they might not otherwise have. And along the way we inevitably discover young people with extraordinary potential and talent. This is where RSC Next Generation kicks in; our talent and skills development programme that offers a funded pathway for young people to see whether a career in the arts might be for them.
Next Generation is made up of three strands: Act, Direct and Backstage. Each one gives young people the chance to take their first steps in the theatre industry and find out if it's something that they want to pursue. Next Generation Act is our young acting company with 24 talented young performers aged between 13 and 18 from across the country. This summer they performed Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona in our temporary outdoor Holloway Garden Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. For 14 of those young people, it was their first experience of performing in front of a live audience at the RSC. And for two recent graduates from our Next Generation Backstage and Next Generation Direct programmes, it was their first paid roles in the theatre industry. Qaraman Saidzada joined the company as trainee assistant manager and Muniira Ali was the show's trainee assistant director.
Next Generation is rooted in the idea of providing talented young people from backgrounds under-represented in the arts and cultural sector with funded opportunities to experience the kinds of roles and careers that are available.
As last year's Arts in Schools: Foundations for the Future report asserts, over the past 40 years there has been limited progress in achieving equitable access to high-quality arts experiences for all children and young people. This matters for a whole host of reasons, but for the diversity and range of talent the theatre industry requires to be relevant and resonant to audiences of all ages and backgrounds, it is particularly concerning.