Creative arts and culture : Future trends

New technology

• Publication of books, music, photographs, film and other forms of visual art are widely available on the internet. The changes have blurred the edges between different creative disciplines and have contributed to a new generation of cultural consumers. In order to stay ahead, those in the industry will need to develop their skills continually.
• Creative practitioners will need a wider skill set to make the most of digital media and to make the most of the web as a marketing and publicity tool. Digital business models are seen as the way forward for both production and revenue. Small, creative businesses or freelance artists, photographers and performers can now publicise their products or services as effectively as larger organisations and need to push forward with this.
• Developments in software have revolutionised all areas of the creative sector. There are programmes for music notation, design, photography, creation and web presentation. Graduates will need to find the most relevant mix of programmes for their practice or professional needs, including those designed to support running a business.
• There is a particular concern about increased infringement of intellectual property in the digital age and creatives need to learn how to protect contracts and rights.

Skills gaps and demographics

• A balance of the required skills in the industry needs to be maintained if the UK is going to continue to remain strong against its international competitors. The UKCES has identified various skills that are particularly important. These include management and leadership skills, professional ICT skills, technician skills and customer service and employability skills.
• The balance in the demographics of the workforce also needs to be addressed. It is usual for people entering the creative and cultural industries to undertake unpaid work experience, however this typically requires financial backing from elsewhere which not everyone has access to. The industry also has a below average proportion of black and minority ethnic employees and few women in the industry are employed in high-level jobs.
• Diversity and mobility is now being promoted by the creative and cultural industries through agencies such as the Cultural Leadership Programme, which aims to help social minority groups to expand their leadership skills. 

Culture privatisation

• The creative and cultural industries are traditionally funded by a number of public funding bodies, with Arts Council England being a major contributor. However, cuts in government investment have meant that less funding is available and in 2011 Arts Council England could only fund 696 organisations out of the 1,300 that applied.
• There is, therefore, pressure to encourage funding from private funds, through patron schemes, tax incentives for private funders and to encourage philanthropy to the arts. The aim from this is to create long-term financial resilience and to sustain cultural excellence.