Boosting Imaginative Learning Experiences
A new report, titled "Enhancing Creative Education," has been published by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) and the Institute for Employment Studies. The report highlights challenges in the creative education sector, such as unequal funding and persistent inequalities that disproportionately affect young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
One of the key findings in the report is the importance of creative skills development through experiential and project-based learning. This approach not only enhances students’ employability and adaptability in the creative industries and beyond but also benefits student engagement, motivation, and innovation capacity.
The report calls for consistent investment and resources to better support the universal delivery of creative education in schools across the UK. It recommends educational policy and practice that better integrates creativity into curricula and teaching strategies.
Another important aspect of the report is the role of creative subject teachers in supporting industry awareness. These teachers are more likely to provide 'live' industry experience for their pupils, such as employer encounters, industry-focused projects, and career talks in schools.
The Institute for Employment Studies, one of the authors of the report, has also been involved in research on the migrant and skills needs of creative businesses in the UK. This research was authored by Joy Williams, Emma Pollard, Joseph Cook, and Morwenna Byford.
Joy Williams, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Employment Studies, is one of the key contributors to the report. Emma Pollard, a Principal Research Fellow, and Morwenna Byford, a Research Fellow, also played significant roles in the research and writing. Joseph Cook, a Research Officer, was also involved in the project.
The report, which is based on a survey of over 7,000 secondary school teachers in the UK, also reveals that 99% of creative subject teachers felt that teaching was disrupted during the pandemic, 4% higher than other teachers from varying disciplines. It also found that 88% of young people aged 11+ report considering a creative career after direct engagement with the opportunity to learn about the variety of jobs within the UK's creative industries.
The report emphasises the potential of effective strategies focusing on providing students with 'live' industry experience, local collaboration, and leadership to improve the quality of today's creative education. It also highlights that 93% of 16-18 year olds report that creative education fostering self-expression, teamwork, and empathy positively impacts their mental health and wellbeing.
The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The report can be referenced as Williams, J., Pollard, E., Cook, J., Byford, M. (2022) Enhancing Creative Education. Multiple: Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre and the Institute for Employment Studies. Available from: Link to the report
The UK's departure from the EU has changed the way British firms trade and work with European countries, but the report does not delve into the specific implications for the creative industries in this regard. However, a survey of employers in the UK's creative industries was commissioned by the Creative Industries Council to determine migrant and skills needs.
In conclusion, the "Enhancing Creative Education" report provides valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities in the creative education sector. It underscores the need for consistent investment and support to improve the delivery of creative education in schools across the UK, with a focus on experiential and project-based learning, industry awareness, and mental health and wellbeing benefits for students.
- The report, "Enhancing Creative Education," published by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) and the Institute for Employment Studies, emphasizes the importance of creative skills development through experiential and project-based learning.
- This approach not only enhances students’ employability and adaptability in the creative industries and beyond but also benefits student engagement, motivation, and innovation capacity.
- The report calls for consistent investment and resources to better support the universal delivery of creative education in schools across the UK and recommends educational policy and practice that better integrates creativity into curricula and teaching strategies.
- Creative subject teachers play a crucial role in providing industry awareness to their pupils, offering employer encounters, industry-focused projects, and career talks in schools.
- The Institute for Employment Studies, one of the authors of the report, has researched the migrant and skills needs of creative businesses in the UK, with Joy Williams, Emma Pollard, Joseph Cook, and Morwenna Byford contributing to the research.
- The report, based on a survey of over 7,000 secondary school teachers in the UK, revealed that 99% of creative subject teachers felt that teaching was disrupted during the pandemic, 4% higher than other teachers from varying disciplines.
- The report highlights that 93% of 16-18 year olds report that creative education fostering self-expression, teamwork, and empathy positively impacts their mental health and wellbeing.
