The study showed that graduates still dominate the creative workforce, with glaring inequalities in gender, ethnicity, and social class throughout the application process and employment outcomes for creative higher education courses.
The study showed that graduates still dominate the creative workforce, with glaring inequalities in gender, ethnicity, and social class throughout the application process and employment outcomes for creative higher education courses.
Access to creative higher education remains highly unequal, with the creative workforce still predominantly composed of graduates, a recent study revealed.
According to the study conducted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Creative Diversity, in partnership with The University of Manchester, King’s College London, University of the Arts London, and the Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre, with support from YouTube and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, significant disparities in access to creative higher education have been unveiled.
The study showed that graduates still dominate the creative workforce, with glaring inequalities in gender, ethnicity, and social class throughout the application process and employment outcomes for higher education courses. Additionally, apprenticeships within the creative industries have proven ineffective.
The report also underscored the need for equity, diversity, and inclusion in creative education, calling for crucial changes.
It revealed that current efforts by higher education institutions and government policies primarily aim to encourage underrepresented groups to apply for creative courses rather than addressing the need for institutional change. The research also stressed the necessity for a fundamental shift of responsibility back to the government and higher education institutions, offering key recommendations for achieving this transformative goal.
The research project draws upon data from Census 2021, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, and Higher Education Statistics Agency, utilizing statistical analysis, stakeholder roundtables, case studies, and a comprehensive global literature review to compile its findings.
The report’s key recommendations include a call for the government to complete an overhaul of creative and cultural education provision, encompassing substantial reforms in creative education at primary and secondary school levels and local community initiatives. It also urged HEIs to urgently reconsider the relationship between creative education and access to creative and cultural employment.
The report also noted that the traditional approach of encouraging applications from underrepresented groups needs to be supplemented by a rigorous examination of entry barriers.
“By setting out ‘what works’ to support a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive creative education system, the report and its policy recommendations offer an important challenge to policymakers, universities, and creative organizations,” said Professor Fiona Devine, vice-president and dean of the Faculty of Humanities at The University of Manchester.
Chi Onwurah MP, co-chair of the APPG for Creative Diversity, also pointed out that the underrepresentation of individuals from global majority backgrounds, the evident class crisis, and gender disparities underscore an urgent call to action.
“This report critically sets out ‘What Works’ to begin building a more equitable creative education system for those aged 16+ and to dismantle the obstacles facing the next generation of creative talent.”
