Craft profile

The Craft sector comprises individuals and businesses operating in contemporary and heritage crafts including makers, curators, craft researchers, tutors, and also craft galleries and retailers. Creative & Cultural Skills, working in partnership with other Sector Skills Councils recognises the following crafts: ceramics, glass, graphic crafts, heritage crafts, iron and stone, jewellery and silversmithing, musical instrument making, taxidermy, textiles and leatherwork, toys and automata, wood. For a more detailed outline of the various craft disciplines please refer to page 14 of the Craft Blueprint.

Breaking news...Craft in Parliament

The Craft Blueprint has been referred to in parliament by Tom Levitt MP, who calls for support for heritage craft skills and apprenticeships in particular. Read the debate.

Key Statistics

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) identified that between 1997 – 2006 employment in the craft sector increased by 11% making it the second highest rate of all the creative and cultural industries.

Creative & Cultural Skills’ most recent research (Craft: Impact and Footprint. 2009) identified that:

• the craft industry contributes £3 billion GVA to the UK economy each year which is greater than the Visual Arts, Cultural Heritage or Literature sectors
• there are at least 88 250 creative practitioners working in the craft sector across the UK and 30, 000 of these are freelancers or self-employed (34%)
• there are estimated to be more than 11, 000 businesses in the contemporary and heritage crafts and 82% of these businesses employ less than 5 people
• geographically the craft sector is more spread out than other creative industries: Scotland (5,580 employees), Wales (3,370 employees), Northern Ireland (1,910 employees)
• craft businesses in Northern Ireland are much younger with just 9% having been in business for 20 years or more. This compares with Scotland (22%) and England and Wales (30%).
• the craft sector represent 13% of all those employed in the creative and cultural industries
• 50% of those people working in the craft are aged between 30-50
• 31% of those working in craft are above the age of 50
• on average craft practitioners contribute £33, 270 GVA per annum to the UK economy which is only just below the UK average of £36 750 for the creative and cultural industries
• 45% have either a level 2 or 3 qualification (equivalent to GCSE and A level respectively) as their highest qualification
• the craft workforce is predominantly white (94%) and male (65%)
• 38% of women in craft have a level 4 or above qualification compared to 22% of men
• 68% of women earn less than £20, 000 per annum compared to 57% of men
• Only 1 in 10 women earn more than £29, 000 compared to 1 in 5 men

If you would like to know more about our craft research or are interested in obtaining nations or regional specific statistics for England please contact craft@ccskills.org.uk

Craft Blueprint

We work in partnership with a wide range of craft employers across the UK including sole traders, guilds and societies, craft organisations, craft research centres, as well as other organisations and agencies that support the craft sector as shown in the links on the left. This has led to the production of the Craft Blueprint: a workforce development plan for craft in the UK.

Developed in partnership with the Crafts Council who chaired the UK Craft Skills Advisory Panel (2006-2008) that initiated the document, the Craft Blueprint identifies a range of recommendations to address urgent craft skills issues. Key areas for skills development are:

• expand entry routes and diversify the workforce
• enhance leadership, professional development and business support
• review craft qualifications
• reinvigorate craft education in schools
• raise the ambition of the sector

Getting into craft

Creative Choices is the first online service to provide the tools, knowledge and networks to support every individual and business to get in, and get on, in the creative industries and cultural sector.

On the craft page you can access numerous craft career profiles, numerous tips in the regular craft blogs, and the latest craft news. If you have any craft content to suggest please email craft@ccskills.org.uk

Be part of our work

How can craft makers, guilds and societies and craft organisations get involved in our work in the craft sector?

• join us in raising the awareness of craft skills issues
• join the consultation for the development of craft and jewellery national occupational standards (NOS)
• become a delivery partner for one or more recommendations in the Craft Blueprint
• contribute funding to jointly deliver one or more recommendations in the Craft Blueprint
• contribute to our reviews of craft qualifications more broadly
• become a research partner and help identify the best methodological approach for researching craft across the UK

For further information or to register your interest please contact craft@ccskills.org.uk