The UK’s cultural and creative industries have received a £12million shot in the arm from a two-year public-private scheme backed by music, advertising and heritage executives alike.
Unveiled yesterday by Gordon Brown, the initiative aims to diversify the country’s intake of cultural leaders by recruiting more individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The Chancellor says a higher profile for the cultural sector should result from stronger links across the economy, thanks to future support from creative businesses and private sector partners.
Initially the Arts Council, Creative and Cultural Skills Council and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council will roll out the scheme, under the brief of ‘promoting excellence in management and leadership.’
This includes ensuring the cultural leaders of tomorrow are more reflective of the nation’s individuals who have already made Britain “a cultural power house,” Tessa Jowell MP said unveiling the package.
Skills and support networks in the cultural sectors will be scrutinised to ensure they are “fit for purpose,” so emerging talents have more of chance to develop into the creative leaders of tomorrow.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport estimates that 2,000 people in Britain will benefit directly from the Programme, which was first announced in the Chancellor’s Budget in March.
Opportunities will be open to all, but those in the core cultural sectors are expected to benefit the most, such as those working in literary, visual and performing arts, music, libraries and archives.
The hope is to elevate the cultural sector’s contribution to the UK economy – around five per cent of GDP - to a level on a par with the creative industries – expected to be 10 per cent of GDP at the end of the decade.
“If this significant part of our economy is to prosper and grow, we must recognise the role of our cultural leaders in delivering that success and ensure the emergence of a talented and diverse group of future leaders,” Mr Brown said.
“The Cultural Leadership Programme will create new opportunities for collaboration across the public and business sectors. I am convinced that such interaction will enrich the cultural sector, the wider economy – and the nation as a whole – for generations to come.”
Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport said: “The Cultural Leadership Programme will encourage leaders from a wide range of backgrounds to reflect the diversity that has made Britain a cultural powerhouse. In economic terms, the cultural sectors account for over five per cent of the nation’s GDP and for the last decade the sector has grown at twice the rate of the economy as a whole.
“To maintain this position we must continue to invest in the people who will be its future. This £12 million initiative aims to provide a strategic approach to embed a strong leadership culture that will make Britain’s creative sectors more successful – and more accessible – than ever.”
The Programme will also offer mentoring and development courses to current and prospective cultural leaders at different stages of their careers.
Later reflecting on Britain's cultural industries, Gordon Brown reportedly said, “What we are talking about is something that is not at the margins, but in the mainstream. It is not a sideshow, it is right at the centre - not just of a modern culture and a modern society, but of a modern economy.”
Jun 22, 2006
Email this article
Printer friendly page
Previous Page
