Redefining social progress in the creative sector: Renewal and inequality adjustment?
The Creative Industries are set to undergo a significant transformation, as a new ten-year, ten-point plan aims to enhance socio-economic diversity within the sector. The research, titled "Social Mobility in the Creative Economy: Rebuilding and levelling up?", is the conclusion of phase 2 of the PEC's 'Class in the Creative Industries' programme.
The report, which can be found here, was authored by Heather Carey, Professor Dave O'Brien, and Dr Olivia Gable, and was conducted in partnership with the Social Mobility Commission and Creative Industries Federation.
The plan outlines key focus areas to rebuild and level up socio-economic diversity. These include:
- Improving access to creative careers for young people, especially from less advantaged backgrounds, through stronger careers advice and expanding access to creative apprenticeships.
- Investing more in teachers and schools to support creative education.
- Changing public perceptions so creativity and creative skills are valued not just for social benefits but also for their significant economic contribution.
- Ensuring clear and accessible pathways into creative industries for underrepresented groups.
- Fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion by supporting organizations like Creative UK’s EDI Advisory Group to develop policies and practices that promote inclusivity.
- Nurturing talent at all stages of a creative career to allow innovation and progression, addressing career stagnation particularly among people from lower socioeconomic and ethnically diverse backgrounds.
- Providing targeted investment in skills, trade, research and development, access to finance, intellectual property, and place-based strategies to enable scaling of creative businesses.
These focus areas form a strategic framework to rebuild and level up socio-economic diversity, combining education, industry support, public engagement, and inclusive policies over a decade. The plan addresses barriers by improving career pathways and investing in support mechanisms across education and employment, aiming for a more equitable creative economy.
The research team reviewed both academic and grey literature and interrogated secondary data sources such as the Office for National Statistics' Labour Force Survey and DCMS' Taking Part Survey. However, the specific findings regarding the migrant and skills needs of creative businesses in the UK were not detailed in the available search results.
The findings will be presented at a virtual event hosted by the Social Mobility Commission on 11th October 2021 at 1:00pm. The report was led by the PEC, Work Advance, the University of Edinburgh, and the Work Foundation, and was co-funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
[1] Social Mobility in the Creative Economy: Rebuilding and levelling up? (2021). Available at: https://our website/research-reports/social-mobility-in-the-creative-economy-rebuilding-and-levelling-up [2] Carey, H., O'Brien, D., & Gable, O. (2021). Social Mobility in the Creative Economy: Rebuilding and levelling up? [Report]. Available at: https://our website/research-reports/social-mobility-in-the-creative-economy-rebuilding-and-levelling-up [4] The PEC (2021). Class in the Creative Industries: Phase 2. Available at: https://our website/research-reports/class-in-the-creative-industries-phase-2 [5] The PEC (2021). Class in the Creative Industries: Phase 1. Available at: https://our website/research-reports/class-in-the-creative-industries-phase-1
- The Creative Industries are poised for a transformation, as a new ten-year, ten-point plan aims to foster socio-economic diversity within the sector, emphasizing education, industry support, and inclusive policies.
- The report "Social Mobility in the Creative Economy: Rebuilding and levelling up?" focuses on enhancing socio-economic diversity within the Creative Industries, and its recommendations include improving access to creative careers, investing in teachers and schools, changing public perceptions, and fostering diversity.
- The research, conducted by Heather Carey, Professor Dave O'Brien, and Dr Olivia Gable, was conducted in partnership with the Social Mobility Commission and Creative Industries Federation, and combines evidence from academia, grey literature, and data sources such as the Office for National Statistics' Labour Force Survey.
- The plan outlines key focus areas such as improving access to creative careers, changing public perceptions, fostering diversity, nurturing talent, and providing targeted investment in skills, research, and development.
- These focus areas aim to address barriers to a more equitable creative economy, including career pathways and support mechanisms across education and employment.
- The findings of the research will be presented at a virtual event hosted by the Social Mobility Commission, and the report was led by the PEC, Work Advance, the University of Edinburgh, and the Work Foundation, and was co-funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
