Reinventing social mobility within the creative sector: Aiming for Equality and Rise?
The Social Mobility Commission is set to present findings at a virtual event on October 11th, 2021, at 1:00pm. The research, titled "Social Mobility in the Creative Economy: Rebuilding and levelling up?", is a part of a three-year program led by the PEC. The report is co-funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
The research, conducted by Professor Dave O'Brien of The University of Manchester, Dr Olivia Gable of the Work Foundation, and Heather Carey of Work Advance, explores class in the Creative Industries and aims to understand the causes of class-based disadvantage in the sector.
The report outlines a ten-year, ten-point plan to enhance socio-economic diversity in the Creative Economy. While the exact detailed list of the ten points is not present in the search results, the report’s general thematic priorities and key interventions include:
- Focusing on young people and early career stages by improving careers advice, increasing access to creative apprenticeships, and investing in teachers and schools.
- Addressing funding and business barriers for diverse and underrepresented founders, particularly supporting screen-based businesses and female founders through targeted funding, development, and growth programmes.
- Enhancing career progression and job stability, especially for freelancers and individuals from Black, Asian, ethnically diverse, and lower socio-economic backgrounds.
- Investing in nurturing talent across all career stages through partnerships and development initiatives that enable underrepresented groups to thrive at every level.
- Changing public perceptions and societal attitudes towards creativity and creative careers to value them more for their economic and innovation contributions.
- Building peer networks and collective action in the sector to share data, best practices, and ensure accountability around socio-economic diversity and inclusion efforts.
Together, these elements suggest the plan embraces a holistic approach covering education, funding, career development, cultural shift, and accountability over a decade to rebuild the sector with socio-economic diversity and social mobility core to its strategy.
A separate report, "The migrant and skills needs of creative businesses in the UK", details the results of a survey of employers commissioned by the Creative Industries Council. This report discusses the migrant and skills needs of creative businesses in the UK, a topic that has become increasingly relevant in light of the UK's departure from the EU.
The image accompanying the report is by Kyle Loftus. The full "Social Mobility in the Creative Economy: Rebuilding and levelling up?" report can be referenced as Carey, H., O'Brien, D., and Gable, O. and is available from the provided website link.
[1] Carey, H., O'Brien, D., and Gable, O. (2021). Social Mobility in the Creative Economy: Rebuilding and levelling up? [Report]. [2] Creative Industries Council. (n.d.). The migrant and skills needs of creative businesses in the UK. [Report]. [4] Social Mobility Commission. (n.d.). Strengthening the creative industries for a fairer future: A ten-year, ten-point plan to enhance socio-economic diversity in the Creative Economy. [Report]. [5] Work Foundation. (n.d.). Building a more equitable creative economy: A collaborative approach to socio-economic diversity and inclusion. [Report].
- The Social Mobility Commission's report, titled "Social Mobility in the Creative Economy: Rebuilding and levelling up?" presents evidence of class-based disadvantage in the Creative Industries.
- The report, led by the PEC and co-funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, outlines a ten-year, ten-point plan to improve socio-economic diversity in the sector.
- The plan encourages policies focusing on education, funding, career development, cultural shift, and accountability for a more diverse and inclusive Creative Economy.
- The report suggests strategies such as investing in teachers and schools, supporting diverse founders, and changing societal perceptions towards creative careers.
- Research by Professor Dave O'Brien, Dr Olivia Gable, and Heather Carey highlights the importance of education-and-self-development in addressing class-based disadvantage in the Creative Industries.
- Another report, "The migrant and skills needs of creative businesses in the UK," sheds light on the migrant and skills needs of creative businesses in the context of the UK's departure from the EU.
