It was announced today by UK culture minister Lucy Frazer that the UK creative industries will get a 1 million job boost adding £50bn in value to the sector by 2030. For many of us creatives that’s a pretty big deal. But the real question should be not how many or when, but where?
Outlining the government’s plans today, Frazer detailed the government’s investment blueprint, which focused on expanding “clusters” of specialist companies in different parts of the UK in sectors such as gaming and film, and on developing skilled workers. For me, that’s the real headline here as the UK’s creative industries have, for too long, been centred solely around the capital.
It's a plan with some actual meat to it too. It is understood that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is developing the plan for growth of the sector across the UK. Frazer says the government will support skills, ranging from music and extracurricular activities for primary school children to boot camps and apprenticeships for those seeking jobs or returning to the workforce.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt had already earmarked the creative industries as one of the “pillars of the economy” that he will continue to prioritise and this seems to confirm he wasn’t bluffing. According to Frazer the government “can do more tangible things to support our creatives” but also warned of the threat of increasing global competition. “We cannot afford to be complacent,” indeed.
Industry opinions
Sjuul van der Leeuw, CEO of marketing automation platform Deployteq, commented: “The creative industries are at a really exciting stage with technological innovation revolutionising areas such as marketing and creative production, so it’s fantastic to see the UK’s commitment to supporting this growth.”
“Creating one million jobs to work hand in hand with emerging technologies in the creative industries can turbocharge the sector’s growth, adding significant value for businesses and the wider economy. Onboarding and training highly skilled staff adds a new dimension to businesses’ creative offerings as well as their capacity to develop and implement automation-enabled technologies to boost the efficiency of critical processes and reach new audiences through means such as email marketing.”
Commenting on the importance of continued investment in the industries, Joanna Reynolds, Managing Director of global marketing Saas agency, Bordeaux and Burgundy, added: “Sustained investment in the creative industries is an important aspect of growing the UK economy, from scaling up SMEs and Scale-up organisations to supporting the tech sector’s innovation push.”
Investment in this area is crucial as it not only fosters growth but also positions the UK as an attractive destination for emerging and innovative tech firms, propelling the nation’s advancement in this dynamic sector. Emphasising regional growth across the country with up-and-coming creative hubs and widespread job creation to increase employment in the sector by a third can unlock huge growth for businesses across the country. A national strategy to widen the talent pool of creatives and entrepreneurs will play a key role in supporting scale-ups in their rapid growth aims, removing geographical barriers and increasing access to skilled staff.”
It's not so grim up north
Again, that’s the key takeaway here for me, “removing geographical barriers.” A career in the creatives industries shouldn’t be gatekept by those wealthy enough to live and work in London. Hopefully, this renewed push should stoke the fires a little in the midlands and the north, where there are just as many hopefully creatives waiting for their chance to shine.
If so, it can perhaps stand as one of the few things the Tories have actually done right this side of the 21st century! Whoever said miracles didn’t happen?
