At an event at the House of Commons, the industry-led Design Skills Advisory Panel will preview the recommendations contained in its report on the status of skills development within the UK’s design industry, and it will call on policymakers and representatives from design, education and business to back the proposals.
The result of two years of consultations with more than 4000 designers, the Design Industry Skills Development Plan is part of a comprehensive government review of skills and education. Its publication next month will act as a rallying cry for a design industry on the cusp of radical change and is expected to deliver a realistic strategy for improvement based on developing world-class, high-level skills in design.
Speakers, including Barry Sheerman MP, Chair of the Education and Skills Select Committee, and Tim Boswell MP, Vice Chair of the All-Party Skills Group, will tomorrow focus on the importance of high-level and employer-led skills and examine how the UK can boost its creative capabilities.
Jonathan Sands, Chair of the Design Skills Advisory Panel, will outline a plan which aims to ensure that the UK design industry both maintains and extends its position as a world leader. He will also call on the government to support key recommendations such as the establishment of a UK design academy to set industry standards.
He will say: ‘This is a plan for the future of UK design, generated because we need to change if we are to thrive in a competitive economy. Our vision is that by 2020 the UK design industry will be viewed as a global epicentre of high-value creativity and design-led innovation.’
To coincide with the meeting, Barry Sheerman MP will table an Early Day Motion calling on Members of both Houses to support initiatives aiming to boost high-level skills that contribute added value to the economy.
Tomorrow’s event comes at a time when the profile of the UK’s design sector has never been higher. Design is a proven driver of economic growth, and the industry has grown rapidly over the past decade to become the largest in Europe, with a turnover in excess of £11.6bn.
For more information please contact Saskia Sissons at the Design Council on
020 7420 5248 or emailsaskia.sissons@designcouncil.org.uk and
Miles Fletcher at Creative and Cultural Skills on 020 7015 1812 or email miles.fletcher@ccskills.org.uk
1. The Design Industry Skills Development Plan is a comprehensive report on the status of skills development within the UK’s design industry. It will inform Creative & Cultural Skills’ ‘Creative Blueprint’, the Sector Skills Agreement to be presented to government early next year.
2. The Design Skills Advisory Panel is a group of 25 design industry experts convened by the Design Council and Creative & Cultural Skills to inform their employer-led skills strategy. Chaired by Jonathan Sands with David Worthington as Deputy Chair, it comprises representatives from across the UK design industry, including design businesses, freelance designers, in-house designers, design organisations and educators.
3. The Plan is the result of two years of consultation with and by the Design Skills Advisory Panel and will be available online next month. It targets design professionals and design students at various stages in their development, starting in schools, continuing in colleges and universities, and working through our professional bodies to provide ongoing professional development. To receive a copy of the report at this stage please contact: skills@designcouncil.org.uk
4. The Design Council is the UK’s national strategic body for design. It aims to strengthen and support the economy and society by demonstrating and promoting the vital role of design in making businesses more competitive and public services more effective. www.designcouncil.org.uk
5. Creative & Cultural Skills is the UK Sector Skills Council for the creative and cultural industries, which include advertising, crafts, cultural heritage, design, music, performing, literary and visual arts. Like all Sector Skills Councils, Creative & Cultural Skills is employer-led and works to improve the education, training and skills available to the sector to ensure that the UK remains economically competitive.
www.ccskills.org.uk