Creating Prosperity: the role of higher education in ... - Universities UK

Creating Prosperity: the role of higher educationin driving the UK’s creative economy50Proposition 6.Higher education can be an important provider of CPD for the creative industries.• CPD is a growing opportunity for higher education, and is a common feature of many knowledgeexchange initiatives in the creative economy.• While creative professionals want and expect to be involved in lifelong learning, industry demandfor CPD is less well articulated and costs can be a barrier.• There is evidence to suggest that academic qualifications are appealing to individuals and theiremployers, indicating an important role for higher education.4.124 If there is a need for greater focus on employability and entrepreneurship skills within undergraduateteaching provision, there is also a need for ongoing CPD support to industry. According to NESTA,creative businesses report a poor record on CPD, and yet there is an accepted requirement forimproved business, management and leadership skills.4.125 Again, this is an area in which higher education has an important role to play. The evaluation of HEFCEthird-stream funding found that CPD, along with consultancy and contract research, was the mostcommon form of industry interaction across English universities, and was particularly importantwithin creative arts and design institutions (PACEC, 2010). However, there is a paucity of researchinto the ways in which CPD is delivered and the effectiveness of current provision.4.126 Although now less current, HEFCE, in partnership with Arts Council England and the DesignCouncil, commissioned a study into higher education’s provision of CPD for the creative industries.The study, published in 2001, found at that time a considerable range and volume of CPD provisionfor arts and design within higher education, as well as growing demand, particularly as the pace ofindustry change accelerates (HEFCE, 2001). There was also evidence that higher education enjoyeda strong brand and reputation in CPD provision, based on:• academic quality, quality control and validation• advanced pedagogy• good understanding of the realities of professional life in the creative sectors• access to resources and new ways of thinking about professional practice4.127 This suggests both that higher education was in 2001 already playing an important role in providingCPD to the creative industries and that there is further potential to expand this work. In theabsence of any equivalent report since, the scale of the growth in provision is unknown, though it hascertainly taken place. What is perhaps less clear are the ways in which this is delivered, across whichdisciplines and how provision is currently received by industry.4.0 Higher education’s contribution