The Government recently published a review of the creative industries’ economic contribution to the wider UK economy. The report revealed that the creative industries have been hugely outperforming other parts of the economy. This often overlooked part of our economy is of huge importance to the UK economy and it is important that we start to celebrate its success.
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The report showcased a number of interesting statistics:
Employment
- The creative industries were responsible for 1.68 million jobs in 2012, 5.6 per cent of the total number of jobs in the UK.
- Employment growth of the creative industries was over 12 times higher than the UK Economy as a whole (8.6 per cent between 2011-12).
GVA (Gross Value Added)
- GVA for the creative industries was £71.4bn and accounted for 5.2 per cent of the UK economy.
- This equates to the industry making over £8m per hour.
- Since 2008 the creative industries’ has grown by 15.6 per cent, compared to 5.4 per cent for the whole of the UK economy.
Exports of Services
- In 2011 the value of services exported for the creative industries was £15.5bn, an increase of 16.1 per cent since 2009. Over the same period, the UK as a whole increased by 11.5 per cent.
This news, although welcome, comes as no surprise to students and faculty at Alliance Universities, who have long been championing the importance of harnessing the UK’s creativity to promote economic growth. For over 150 years they have been leading in creative industries education and research and are at the forefront of innovation and growth in this area.
- The University of Salford has partnered with the BBC at MediaCity UK to provide vital professional development to support the £16bn digital and creative sectors in north-west England.
- Bournemouth University has the only recognised Centre for Excellence in Media Practice in the UK and graduates from the National Centre for Computer Animation have worked in Hollywood on such films as Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, Star Wars, Madagascar and King Kong.
With a growing demand for graduates with skills relevant to the creative economy it is time we took courses such as Graphic Design and Media Production more seriously and give them the respect they deserve. Nurturing this creativity and giving students the skills needed to create movies, produce music and develop the next blockbuster computer game will be vital to driving growth and ensuring the UK has a strong future.
University Alliance will be launching Design& Education: Creating the Future at the Design Council in London on Tuesday 25 March 2014. Find out more here.
