UK creative industries outline ambitious vision and strategy for 2020

The Creative Industries Council’s strategy emphasises the importance of the UK’s world-class creative sector to sustaining economic growth.

Updated:

Skyfall (2012)

Skyfall (2012)

Industry members of the Creative Industries Council (CIC) have announced their vision and strategy for the UK creative industries for 2020. The strategy outlines a plan that will see businesses and government work together to maintain the UK’s position as a world leader for the creative industries.

Launched to industry and Government at an event attended by Business Secretary Vince Cable and Culture Secretary Sajid Javid, the strategy – for the first time – unites the creative industries and lays bare the significant role the sector will continue to play in the UK’s sustained economic recovery.

The creative industries generated more than £71bn gross value added in 2012 – a 9.4 per cent increase between 2011 and 2012 that surpasses the growth of any other  UK industry sector. They supported 1.71m jobs and created further jobs for 890,000 people in other sectors as part of the wider supply chain and as a business driver.

The strategy identifies five key areas that will be fundamental to the future success of the sector:

  • Education and skills: Building on the industries’ long history of excellence, having an education and careers system that inspires and supports the next generation; increased employer engagement with schools and investment in skills; and better opportunities for people from all backgrounds.
  • Access to finance: Creative businesses having knowledge of how to access and secure finance to grow, with a wide range of financing options and incentives available with an increased number of creative industries companies receiving investment.
  • Infrastructure: Creating one of the most advanced communications infrastructures and regulatory environments in the world to ensure the UK is a competitive place to do business with the aim of being in the top 5 countries in the world for digital infrastructure.
  • Intellectual property: Ensuring the intellectual property framework continues to promote a strong and balanced copyright regime at home and abroad.
  • International (exports and inward investment): Doubling the value of creative industries service exports from 15.5 billion in 2011 to £31 billion in 2020 and getting more UK creative businesses exporting by helping 15,000 companies [compared to 7,500 in 2013/14].

Amanda Nevill, BFI CEO, comments:

With collaboration at its core, film brings together a range of creative practitioners, from writers, directors and actors to designers, technicians and musicians, so we welcome this ambitious and collaborative strategy to unite our creative sectors and drive future growth across Britain’s creative industries and the economy as a whole.

We welcome today’s emphases on education and skills development, growing sustainable businesses, maximising the value of creative IP, driving forward an international agenda focused on export and inward investment, and enhancing the UK’s communications infrastructure to ensure the UK remains competitive on the world stage.

As we’ve seen through our work in China, culture opens doors around the world and offers opportunities for new international engagement with benefits for a range of UK businesses – this strategy offers an exciting opportunity to capitalise on success and put the creative industries at the heart of the UK’s growth agenda, and we look forward to ensuring film plays an energetic role in driving the strategy forward in the coming months and years.

Business Secretary, Vince Cable said:

British designers, musicians and filmmakers have put the UK on the world map with their creative talent. They have also played a big part in driving our economic recovery. UK creative industries generate £71bn in revenue each year and support 1.71m jobs – that’s equivalent to four times a city the size of Manchester. We want this sector to continue to thrive so it’s important that government and industry keep working together to foster the right environment for creative industries to succeed and inspire young people to follow in the footsteps of the many creative heavyweights that Britain has produced.

Create UK embodies this partnership and builds on UKTI’s international creative industry strategy to ensure that British businesses can stay ahead of their rivals around the world and keep supporting growth in our economy.

Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said:

From film to video games, fashion to architecture, our world leading creative industries are a veritable powerhouse. They drive growth and outperform other industries, with employment increasing at around five times the rate of the national average. I have been continually impressed by the energy, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit in the sector – they are an integral part of what makes Britain great and the Create UK campaign will be instrumental in promoting the sector both here and abroad.

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