Earlier this year the Creative Industries Council asked Skillset, the sector skills council responsible for the creative media industries, to lead its skills working group and to consult with the creative sector to help it realise its growth potential. This week the report Skillset produced was endorsed by the Council. (BOP worked with the group and helped to compile the evidence base on which the report draws.)
Skillset identified eight cross-cutting challenges for the creative industries, from industry ownership of investment in skills, to the fusion of creative and technical disciplines in education and the need to cut red tape for businesses employing freelancers. From these, it made 17 recommendations. They include:
- Create an online professional learning network for employers and individuals, implement sector-wide management and leadership programmes and establish virtual boards of experienced professionals to provide support and guidance to start-ups and small creative companies.
- Reform the ICT syllabus in schools. Computer science, arts and/or a creative subject (music, film, media, and photography) should be included in the National Curriculum as core subjects, and also as options within the English Baccalaureate.
- Improve the quality of industry internships, with employers not just complying with legislation but also working with trade unions, employee representative groups and Government to challenge poor working practices and champion the principles of fair access to the sector.
- Improve the national account system for the Creative Industries by working with the Office for National Statistics to shape the methodology for data collection; reduce duplication, identify knowledge gaps and drive up the quality of the evidence base.
The Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, described the report thus:
This is an excellent report. It gives us a clear picture of the issues we face in making sure that those working in our creative industries have the skills needed to drive growth. We need to do all we can to develop the talent in our creative businesses. I urge all involved in the creative industries to take these recommendations on board.
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