Design education In 1996/97, just over 10% of students taking a first degree in England and Wales were enrolled on design courses: a total of 91,200 students across the two government categories of 'creative arts and design' and 'architecture, building and planning', and this is out of a total first degree student population of 874,900 . In postgraduate education in the same year, there were some 9,500 students enrolled on design courses out of a total of 138,200 - or nearly 6.9%. Source: DfEE provisional statistics, 1997 An education through design provides a wide range of skills which employers consider to be critical. A report commissioned by the Design Council concluded that effective people management skills are essential for good design - these include the ability to listen and communicate, to motivate employees and encourage teamwork as well as the ability to create an organisational climate which is conducive to creativity and innovation. Source: Design Council report: Exploring links between design and the Business Excellence Model, 1997 The strength of Britain's design education The British Council found that Britain's design education sector is the largest in Europe, and 30% of all Europe's design graduates were educated in the UK. This is a reflection of the enormous range of courses available (including some 150 sub-disciplines), and the cross-disciplinary nature of many of them. Source: The British Council report: Promoting British design, 1997