Pioneering Industry Careers Portal Launched

Tom Bewick, chief executive of Creative and Cultural Skills, today launched a pioneering new web portal: Creative Choices°

Speaking at the third annual creative industries conference in Liverpool, part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations, Tom Bewick said:

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.

We believe in individuals taking control of their own career decisions. People can only do this when they are well informed, with access to the right tools, knowledge and networks to help develop their skills and fuel their desire to succeed.

That's why we've developed Creative Choices°: we want everyone who wants to enter the creative industries to use www.creative-choices.co.uk to help make a more informed choice about where they are going, and how to get there. It's not just for those trying to get into our sectors. It's for everyone who already is, and wants to develop their career or business further.

We've built Creative Choices° around three core questions:

1. "How can I make the best of what I’ve got?" Users on www.creative-choices.co.uk want more than tick boxes to tell them what kind of person they are or what job they can do. That’s why central to Creative Choices° is a career development kit that lets users assess real skills against real jobs—just the facts. Our users have told us they want those facts from their peers and from employers. That’s why our information connects with the peers they aspire to, experts in the industry who can help them discover the range of opportunities, routes and training that are available.


2. "I know what I want. How do I get there?" The web has got exciting again. Shared social spaces and real control for the user. Creative Choices° is part of the shift, and employs the latest relevant technologies to enable users to find and compare all the courses, jobs, people and placements available to professionals, leaders, or those entering the sector. Reviews from other students, consumer guides with ratings, and an industry benchmark for courses and essential course info. Our users are used to shopping around online—why not for their own development?


3. "I need to know I'm making the best decision. What can you give me?" Better informed decisions: you’ll get there quicker, better. Our users want in-depth intelligence that is direct and focused on industry news, events, labour market analysis, leadership best practice, guidance and resources for creative business. But what makes people in our sectors truly outstanding is their commitment to keep learning about the decisions they make. So they will use creative-choices.co.uk for its e-learning encyclopaedia and directories of experts to ensure their ‘just-in-time’ is never too late.

Creative Choices° was funded by a £2.5 million grant from the Treasury in 2006, part of a 5-year £22 million Cultural Leadership Programme (2006-2011), jointly delivered by the Arts Council England, Creative & Cultural Skills and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. Creative Choices° is being launched as a BETA version on 22nd April and will receive its full industry launch in September.