London’s Creative Sector leaders discuss skills

Nick | 19 Mar 2009, 09:09

Historically, career paths in the creative sector have been less structured than other industries. For some this has been an attraction, if not a strength of the sector - one that forces talent to push its way to the top.

But in a meeting at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre, hosted by the Art’s Council, leaders of London’s creative, cultural and arts sector organisations discussed the step changes afoot in career and skills development. Leaders from organisations such as the UK’s Royal Opera House and Tate Britain, all agreed that the skills challenge needed to be addresses with renewed vigour, especially in the face of the global downturn. 

The global creative industries are making a growing contribution to the world’s economy. In the UK alone, the sector contributes £60 billion a year to the British economy and employs 2 million people. And this is not to mention the value generated through the enrichment of people’s lives and the vitality the sector brings to communities, which for the world’s leading cities, is an important selling point for investors.

Brendan Nolan, from the Learning and Skills Council, who helped put on the event at Sadler’s Wells, commented that: “With the global downturn, training and skills have never been more important to businesses, with those that fail to invest in skills being over two times more likely to fail than those that do. The right skills can help insulate a business from the worst consequences of the economic slump and put an organisation in a good place to take advantage of new opportunities when they come. In the UK there’s lots of funding, support and advice available through services like Train to Gain.”

At the event, speakers were keen to stress that skills in the creative sector are not just about performers and artists, but equally about the professional management of businesses as commercial operations – whether managing accounts and cash flow, or delivering better customer service or running IT more effectively. All these things require an investment in skills and training.

Delegates discussed the sector’s unique needs and many raised the concern that trained staff would simply leave and take their new skills with them. Speakers were keen to point out the flip side of these fears: What if you don’t invest in staff and they don’t leave?