Creative Industries Leadership Group: Working Group Reports and Ministerial Response – March 2022

How can we train a creative workforce for the future of the industry?

Recommendation 1: Advocacy

Summary of recommendations

• CILG should take an active role in advocacy of the creative industries with resources including staff time and the cost of generating educational/promotional materials allocated to supporting this work.
• The working group suggests four areas of advocacy activity: Scottish Local Authority Economic Activity; Young Persons Guarantee, Scottish Funding Council and Scottish Government.
• The working group recommends that the Scottish Local Authority Economic Development (SLAED) discuss national and local development policies to support the creative industries as a priority sector.

The Scottish Government recognises that there are varying levels of understanding of the creative industries, its characteristics (including its project based nature) and value across the Scottish Government and its agencies that are not working directly with the sector. It wants to see a greater understanding of the creative industries and its impact across society.

In 2021, the Scottish Government worked with the Creative Industries Advisory Group to transform it into a Creative Industries Leadership Group. The Scottish Government notes that the refreshed remit of CILG currently permits the members of CILG to undertake advocacy work and to agree issues of strategic relevance to the whole creative industries. It is able to undertake enhanced collaboration between the creative industries, the public sector and other stakeholders, including trade bodies and membership organisations to enable creative ideas, creative people and creative businesses to merge, develop and flourish. It can also engage at a strategic level with other groups in the public sector landscape to influence and shape long term thinking.

The Scottish Government agrees that the creative industries, with their flexible ways of working and often project-based nature, have particular characteristics that present both challenges and opportunities. It also agrees that it is vital the unique flexibility and skills of the creative industries, as well as the potential for cross-collaboration between sectors, is promoted to other sectors. Scottish Government policy officials are keen to ensure that the value of the creative industries to the wider Scottish society and economic transformation are recognised across ministerial portfolios.

The Scottish Government’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation published on 1 March 2022 aims to bring in a new culture of delivery and one of its actions is to publish a wellbeing economy monitor which will go beyond the economic metrics alone.

Annex A sets out the work that the Scottish Government and its public sector agencies are already undertaking in respect of this recommendation.

Potential next steps and opportunities for discussion at CILG

1.1 The Scottish Government asks CILG members to consider the best way that the group can undertake advocacy work for the creative industries, in collaboration with the work of the Scottish Government and partner agencies.

1.2 The Scottish Government believes a discussion should take place at CILG to further consider how CILG can play an active Advocacy role in the sector, taking a leadership role.

1.3 Officials will work with the NSET programme so that the measurement better reflects what success looks like in the creative industries and takes into account cultural, social, economic and environmental outcomes.

1.4 The Scottish Government will facilitate a discussion between the Young Persons Guarantee team at Scottish Government and the CILG at a future meeting to discuss the potential for the creative industries in the Young Persons Guarantee, Employer Recruitment Initiatives and Developing the Young Workforce initiatives.

1.5 The Scottish Government and its public sector partners will continue to look to identify what opportunities to promote and explain the work of the creative industries and to discuss opportunities for collaborative working.

1.6 The Scottish Funding Council has also highlighted that it will ensure that its guidance on funding and outcome agreements, as well as upskilling and reskilling, take into account the value of creativity in the economic recovery and economic transformation to net zero.

1.7 The Scottish Government will facilitate a discussion between CILG and the Scottish Local Authorities Economic Development Group to discuss the advocacy work noted in the recommendations.

Recommendation 2: creative industry audit support

Summary of recommendations

• The working group recommends that the current creative industries agency activities are audited, with findings shared with the CILG for feedback.
• The working group suggests that the development agencies (potentially through Can Do Innovate or SFC interface) should consider developing new opportunities for cross sectoral working and collaboration between the creative industries and others to apply creative problem solving skills to broader societal and environmental issues.
• The working group endorses the work undertaken by Creative Informatics (Edinburgh Futures Institute) in bringing together mixed creative industries cohorts to explore data, digital and business model developments and recommend the Challenge Project as a model that could be rolled out to support cross sectoral projects.

The Scottish Government does not consider that an audit exercise, including the scoping of such an exercise, would be good value for money or provide useful information at this time.

Annex A sets out the work that the Scottish Government and its public sector agencies are already undertaking in respect of this recommendation.

Potential next steps and opportunities for discussion at CILG

2.1 The Scottish Government suggests that the following activities could be undertaken to highlight policies and initiatives for the creative industries and should be discussed at a forthcoming CILG:

• The Scottish Government will continue its work to ensure that the creative industries and their role is known widely across the Scottish Government and that the agencies are able to collaborate across sectors.
• In particular, the Scottish Government will work with officials implementing the NSET programme to ensure that the interests and characteristics of creative industries are considered
• Potential use of the Scottish Government website or an Industry-led website to detail activity in the creative industries - this can be discussed in the proposed Advocacy discussion highlighted in this response. For information, the CILG may be interested to look at the Life Sciences Scotland website as an example.
• The regular Update paper for CILG meetings should include a section on what new policies and initiatives are available to the creative industries that may be of interest to members.

2.2 The current Creative Industries Framework Agreement between all of the Scottish Government agencies will be refreshed. This will provide an updated overview of the public sector landscape which should ensure those working in the creative industries are aware of services available to them.

Recommendation 3: Life long learning

Summary of recommendations

• Creative education provided by specialist staff in Scottish schools has been steadily declining for many years and needs to be addressed urgently.
• The working group endorses the key recommendation of the Make Learn report to create a high-level Craft Education Steering Group and suggests that this should be broadened out to be a Creative Education Steering Group.
• The working group recommends that the evaluations of LevelUp! and SHIFT are made available to CILG and the Scottish Government, as well as the evaluation of the Sustaining Craft Business Practice.
• The working group recommends the Futures Institute and Creative Informatics white paper is supported by the Scottish Government.
• The working group recommends that CILG is kept informed of the development of a Minimum Income Guarantee.
• The working group suggests that the Scottish National Investment Bank has a role to play in shaping packages of support that are accessible to creative industries practitioners, especially those running freelance and micro businesses. It recommends that CILG is informed of the progress of the mechanisms to deliver Bounce Back Loans.
• The working group recommended that discussions take place between CILG and Graduate Career Advantage Scotland to understand the adaptability of the support to creative industries practitioners and businesses.

The Scottish Government recognises the important role that creativity and creative learning have in schools and other settings.

Support for creative education is provided through a number of initiatives. This includes Creative Scotland’s sustained partnership with Education Scotland in the Creative Learning Plan, first published in 2013, which sets out a shared vision for the importance of creativity in education. As a result of this work there has been a growth in a shared language and common understanding of creativity and creativity skills. The Creative Scotland and Education Scotland Action Plan continues to bring that vision to life through tangible actions, especially given the impact that Covid-19 has had on children and young people. The action plan contains 3-year outcomes committing to:

• Creativity embedded in curriculum design;
• Learners’ mental health and wellbeing is improved
• Learners confidently applying creativity skills in all contexts
• Learners directly influencing their own creative learning
• Quality cultural experiences accessible to all learners.

Creative Scotland, as part of the review of the plan, are improving how arts organisations, artists and creative practitioners see themselves reflected in, and relate to, the current plan and repositioning the importance of the plan at a national level to widen engagement and improve stakeholder accountability to the vision, aims and outcomes.

The working group suggests that a creative education steering group is developed. A Creative Learning Steering Group was established in June 2018. This brings together the National Creative Learning Network Steering Group, and the Creative Learning Plan Implementation and Strategic Groups into one. It comprises representatives from a wide range of partners including representatives from the Creative Learning Network.

The purpose of this group is to promote creativity as essential to improvement across every aspect of education, and to collate, contextualise and disseminate examples of effective practice and research evidence of the impact of creativity on outcomes for learners. The group offers support to facilitate creative change, support the delivery of creative learning and build collaboration between sectors and cultures.

Annex A sets out the work that the Scottish Government and its public sector agencies are already undertaking in respect of this recommendation.

Potential next steps and opportunities for discussion at CILG

3.1 The Scottish Funding Council will discuss with Skills Development Scotland how these pathways can be improved for the benefit of learners in the creative subjects.

3.2 Skills Development Scotland will discuss the opportunities provided through its resources at a future meeting of CILG.

3.3 The Scottish Government recommends CILG members consider how they can promote careers in the sector. This could also be considered as part of the advocacy work of CILG highlighted in Recommendation 1 of the skills working group report.

3.4 The Scottish Government will respond to the specific recommendations of the MAKE Learn report on craft education in due course.

3.5 The Scottish Government we will work closely with Creative Scotland and Education Scotland on the Creative Learning plan.

3.6 Copies of the evaluations for LevelUp and SHIFT can be made available to the Scottish Government and CILG.

3.7 The Scottish Government will share the project evaluation of the sustaining craft business practice programme with CILG members once published.

3.8 Scottish Funding Council and Skills Development Scotland have committed to discuss what more could be done to promote the various upskilling and retraining funds among the creative industries and what more colleges and universities can do. A first meeting took place on 8 April to discuss these issues.

3.9 The Scottish Government will continue to engage with organisations working on data driven innovation to explore opportunities for Scotland’s creative industries.

3.10 The Scottish Government will continue to engage with organisations working in the area of digital skills, including Creative Informatics, to explore opportunities for Scotland’s creative industries. It recently provided funding for the Creative Informatics creative tech gathering in March 2022.

3.11 Updates of the work in developing a Minimum Income Guarantee will continue to be included in the Update paper for CILG.

3.12 Officials can provide contacts to the Creative Industries Leadership Group if it wishes to discuss further details regarding investments of the Scottish National Investment Bank.

3.13 CILG members may wish to consider whether they could be an employer within the GCAS scheme.