(LD):...On levelling
up, of all sectors, the creative sector is the one that is
growing in parts of the country that need new employment
opportunities. For example, according to the Creative Industries
Federation, between 2011 and 2020, jobs in the creative
industries grew by 68% in the north-east and 61% in Yorkshire and
Humber. Kingston
University carried out interviews with major
businesses outside the creative sector, including Deloitte,
Mastercard and Lidl, and a weighted sample of 2,000 UK employers
to find the answer to two questions: what challenges the UK faces
in remaining globally competitive—having Brexited, that will be
even more important—and what skills businesses are looking for to
meet those challenges over the next 10 to 20 years. Its findings
are absolutely decisive. Business across all sectors prioritise
creative problem-solving skills and identify emerging economies
as the key threat to the UK, because countries such as China and
Singapore are investing in these skills to absolutely transform
their economies...
(Lab):...Kingston University, an internationally
renowned centre for art and design, says that evidence exists
that creative skills drive innovation and growth in all parts of
the economy. I ask the Minister: why did Kingston
University find that there is a “growing
disconnect” between the globally recognised pre-eminence of our
cultural sector and the education policies that sustain that
success? As Kingston suggests, there is a risk that current
policies will severely disrupt the talent pipeline that fuels
that pre-eminence...
(LD):...We need to
tackle the overheating of the sector that is taking place. In
particular, we need to expand the training and skills pipeline,
as my noble friend described, rather than cutting funding and
threatening to limit the number of people taking creative arts
degrees. Where is the promised £90 million-a-year arts premium
for schools? Where are the reforms to the apprenticeship levy? As
my noble friend mentioned, Kingston University’s
future skills league table shows that creative skills are in
demand right across the economy; of course, the noble Lord, Lord
Spencer, also made that point. Independent producers have
described their great concern about the Government’s proposal for
the future of Channel 4, which commissions hundreds of
independent British companies that can exploit the intellectual
property in programmes around the globe...
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