Talent Pipeline – The UK’s Creative Industries
Creative industries are driving economic growth across the UK, on track to create one million new creative industries jobs between 2013 and 2030
The UK’s Creative Industries have been world leading for several decades, enjoying significant success across all areas of our screen-based sectors. How have VFX, Animation and Computer Games (as well as other disciplines affiliated with computer graphics) been empowered within the education sector and what have been the instrumental factors in its development and accomplishment?
“Now more than ever, it’s so important that we invest in UK skills development to ensure we can continue to deliver world-class animation and remain competitive in a global market” Paula Newport, Aardman Animations
The screen industry does not operate in isolation, however, with its adjacent industries of high-end television, video games and animation also contributing to the UK economy. Highend TV contributed £852m in GVA in 2013, supporting 16,800 full-time equivalents (FTE) jobs. Video games are a British success story, with the sector creating £1.4bn in GVA and 29,000 FTEs within the same year, and the animation sector continued to grow, contributing £171m in GVA and supporting 4,700 FTE. 8 (A Skills Audit of the UK Film and Screen Industries Report for the British Film Institute – June 2017)
The screen industry does not operate in isolation, however, with its adjacent industries of high-end television, video games and animation also contributing to the UK economy. Highend TV contributed £852m in GVA in 2013, supporting 16,800 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs. Video games are a British success story, with the sector creating £1.4bn in GVA and 29,000 FTEs within the same year, and the animation sector continued to grow, contributing £171m in GVA and supporting 4,700 FTE.
“If the UK’s creative industries are to continue to be world-leading, we have to strengthen the talent pipeline and ensure creativity is at the heart of the curriculum. Studying the arts improves students’ grades across the board, too, and equips young people with the skills required in a future job market. After all, in a world of growing automation, creativity is what makes us human” Rt Hon Ed Vaizey MP
In a recent letter to the Secretary of State (Gavin Williamson), representatives from across the media and entertainment industry highlighted their concern regarding access to high-quality creative education for young people in UK today.
We are deeply concerned by the falling numbers of young people studying creative subjects at school. While Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland recognise the importance of creative education by ensuring it remains on the school curriculum, the English system continues to sideline it by excluding creative subjects from the EBacc(1). There has been an 8% drop in the number of students taking GCSEs in creative subjects since 2014/15. The Cultural Learning Alliance (CLA) has estimated that the take up of arts courses alone at GCSE level has fallen by 35% since 2010(2), while the BPI has highlighted the growing disparity between the provision of music in state and independent schools(3). The National Education Union has reported a 20% drop in contact time in Drama, Art, Music, Design and Technology, and Dance for KS3 students. The damaging impact of these reductions must not be underestimated.
(Extract) Open Letter, Creative Industries Federation, August 15th 2019, https://www.creativeindustriesfederation.com/news/open-letter-secretary-state-education-gavin-williamson-mp-value-creative-education
New research from Nesta, in partnership with the Creative Industries Council, reveals creative industries across the UK are driving local and national economic growth, identifying that local economies have grown their creative industries employment by an average of 11 per cent, twice as fast as other sectors.