Creative Industries Council urges action to improve skills and training

The Creative Industries Council has endorsed a report into improving the skills of people working in the sector.

The council, which is co-chaired by business secretary Vince Cable and culture secretary Jeremy Hunt, met recently and discussed what needs to be done to realise the full growth potential of the UK's creative industries.

The report was provided by industry body Skillset and it made recommendations for both industry and government to improve the training and talent development of people working in creative industries.

Some of the recommendations include:

• Creating an online professional network for employers and individuals and establishing virtual boards of experienced professionals to provide support and guidance to start-ups and small creative companies.

• Reform the ICT syllabus in schools - Computer science, arts and creative subjects should be included in the National Curriculum as core subjects and also as options within the English baccalaureate.

• Group of apprenticeship approaches should be developed for creative media as well as fashion and textiles. This would allow employers to take on apprentices collectively.

Cable said: "The UK creative industries have a well-deserved reputation for excellence. This report makes a number of strong recommendations to develop skills and nurture emerging talent in creative industries. We look forward to Skillset and others in creative industries taking this plan forward and implementing it.

"The government understands the vital role played by smaller firms, especially in creative industries. We are committed to providing extra help to enable small employers to hire their first apprentices."

Hunt added: "This is an excellent report. It gives us a clear picture of the issues we face in making sure that those working in our creative industries have the skills needed to drive growth.

"We need to do all we can to develop the talent in our creative business. I urge all involved in the creative industries to take these recommendations on board."

For more information on the report, visit http://cicskills.skillset.org/