Arts organisers

The Government has announced that Creative & Cultural Skills has been awarded a new licence to support the skills needs of the creative and cultural industries. This comes after a comprehensive relicensing process commissioned by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, with independent assessments carried out by the National Audit Office across all Sector Skills Councils.

They were praised for their "strong partnership working" and "effective lobbying" on behalf of the sectors we represent. Our research was identified as a key area of strength, as were our projects, such as Creative Apprenticeships and Creative Choices, which were singled out as "skills solutions which are clearly linked to employer's needs". Creative & Cultural Skills was also pinpointed for "leveraging investment in skills for the sector".

Creative & Cultural Skills represents over 74,000 businesses across advertising, design, cultural heritage, craft, music, performing arts, visual arts and literature in the UK - a footprint of 678,000 in total. First licensed in 2005, the organisation was started from scratch by Tom Bewick and Tony Hall CBE, at the demand of key employers in the industry.

According to the NAO, employers and stakeholders said that Creative & Cultural Skills' "advocacy role had benefitted the sector, as it had raised skills up the employer agenda... Many also picked out the Labour Market Intelligence as being of significant benefit to the sector in helping it understand itself".

Chair of the Board of Trustees, David Worthington, said: "I am delighted that the hard work and progress Creative & Cultural Skills has made over the last five years has paid off, particularly the work of Tom Bewick, Tony Hall, and the rest of the Trustees and staff. The audit was extremely thorough, testing every aspect of the business, and I am pleased that they found us robust and well-run".

Group Chief Executive, Tom Bewick, said "the relicensing process was a key test for our organisation which we have passed.  As one of the only Sector Skills Councils started from scratch, I am extremely proud of what we have achieved over the last five years and I’m glad we've been recognised for it with a stamp of approval for future activity. We have introduced a new ambition for skills in this industry, with the first Apprenticeships, a new National Skills Academy, and a new way of looking at careers advice and guidance in the form of Creative Choices, which now has over 200,000 users. For the first time ever we have comprehensive information about the skills needs of this growth sector, and a clear idea about the contribution it makes to the national economy. We now need to continue to work together to meet these skills needs and ensure that we remain the largest cultural economy in the world."

The full report from the National Audit Office is available at www.ccskills.org.uk, together with some responses from key creative and cultural industry representatives.

First published: a-n.co.uk December 2009