Creative & Cultural Skills
20 January 2010

The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has praised the work of Creative & Cultural Skills over the past five years. Last night, in a video address to an industry audience, he said:

‘I know that at Creative & Cultural Skills, under Tony Hall’s leadership, excellent progress has been made in opening up entry routes to young people through the first Creative Apprenticeships. Hundreds of talented individuals are now benefiting from paid opportunities in the music, theatre and museums sector. You have established the first National Skills Academy for the creative industries, and this is especially important as harnessing the skills of the creative, cultural and digital industries will secure new jobs and new growth in Britain as we build a more enterprising society.’

Creative & Cultural Skills has recently been relicensed after a rigorous assessment by the National Audit Office (NAO) on behalf of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. The NAO commented on the high profile nature of the Board of Trustees. Over 80% of employers consulted said we had made a ‘strong or some’ contribution to skills development for the sector.

Tom Bewick, Group Chief Executive, said:

“I’m delighted that the Prime Minister has recognised the excellent progress that has been made since the organisation was established from scratch five years ago. I’m particularly pleased for our staff, trustees and industry stakeholders who have worked tirelessly, often in difficult circumstances, to get to the point where we can rightly celebrate our achievements. A lot has been achieved, but there is still a lot more to do. Making sure the talents of all our young people, regardless of background, is a pressing challenge to enable fairer access to the creative and cultural industries. To remain the number one cultural economy in the world we need to sustain and continue rolling out Creative Apprenticeships, provide the information people need to make better career decisions and develop more dynamic and diverse cultural leaders of the future. The next five years needs to continue the campaign to make the UK the world’s creative hub.”

ends
For more information on this press release please contact Catherine Large, Director, External Relations on 020 7015 1828, Catherine.Large@ccskills.org.uk

Notes to editors:

Creative & Cultural Skills is the sector skills council for the creative and cultural industries. Our remit covers advertising, craft, cultural heritage, design, music, and performing arts, visual arts and literature across the UK.

Creative & Cultural Skills was granted a new licence to operate by Lord Mandelson in December 2009. Creative & Cultural Skills is a member of the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils. Together we oversee the strategic development of the workforce in our industries and deliver realistic solutions to skills needs.

For further information please visit www.ccskills.org.uk.