07 October 2008

The UK Design Skills Alliance has been launched in Wales at the Cardiff Design Festival 2008.

The UK Design Skills Alliance was formed in response to the actions outlined in the Design Blueprint: a workforce action plan for design in the UK, in an effort to tackle the skills and training gaps prevalent in the UK design sector.

Tom Bewick, chief executive of Creative & Cultural Skills and guest speaker at the opening of the festival held at the National Assembly for Wales, said:

“I’m delighted to formally launch the UK Design Skills Alliance in Wales. In many ways, Wales is ahead of the rest of the UK: 42% of businesses in Wales have dedicated design departments, compared to 25% in the rest of the UK.

The design sector in Wales and throughout the UK is thriving, but there is still an important need for industry and education to work together. Research shows that almost half of UK companies are failing to invest in design. We need to develop powerful and well supported connections between industry and education that will provide current intelligence on design practice to inform curriculum development and help ensure that UK design students have the right skills.

Much of the recently formed UK Design Skills Alliance’s work is about promoting and supporting this type of collaboration, which is essential if the design industry is to have the skills and capabilities it needs in the future. An event like this brings a focus to the design community in Wales and highlights the wealth of talent we have already in the design community across the UK. I’d like to put on record my thanks to Olwen Moseley who has organised this festival for the past four years and Jonathan Sands and Lesley Morris who have been instrumental in setting up the Alliance. Going forward, the Alliance will continue to support the design industry by working with partners in Wales, including Design Wales and UWIC.”

The month long festival is a combination of showcases, workshops, talks and events focused on design in Wales and is convened and facilitated by Cardiff School of Art & Design at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff in collaboration with partners from the creative industries and other public bodies and private businesses.

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For more information on this press release, images and interviews please contact Jessica Benson on 0207 015 1800 or email jessica.benson@ccskills.org.uk