Wales commits to creative skills plan

A new Welsh Government plan is aiming to develop existing and next generation talent in the screen, digital content and music industries.

The Creative Skills Action Plan 2022-25 will support the development of the creative workforce and consider long term aims to ensure Wales “continues to be a thriving and creative place to do business”.

According to 2021 data, over 35,400 people are employed by 3,423 businesses that make up Wales’s creative industries, an increase of 6.4% compared to 2018 levels. The industry generated an annual turnover of £1.7bn in 2021, an increase of 14% from 2017.

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Wales Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport Dawn Bowden said the creative industries are “hugely significant” to the Welsh economy.

“They also contribute to a strong national brand, helping to promote Wales and its culture and talent to the world,” she said.

“We want to nurture new and emerging talent from all communities in Wales, and to realise our ambitions for inclusive growth.”

The three-year plan was shaped by a Creative Skills Advisory Panel of ten industry experts established in May 2022, fulfilling a specific target outlined in the Wales's Programme for Government.

It includes commitments for Creative Wales, the Welsh Government’s creative agency, to support Wales’s Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan and Young Persons Guarantee, which aims to give everyone under the age of 25 an offer of work, education, training or self-employment, alongside the creation of 125,000 all-age apprenticeships.

Creative Wales will also work with the Welsh Government Disabled People’s Employment Champions to improve employability prospects for disabled people in the creative industries and support the delivery of Cymraeg 250, a strategy to promote the use of the Welsh language.

“Through Creative Wales, we want to champion an environment where talent can be nurtured through skills development and creative companies can continue to grow,” Bowden added.

Ten priorities

The action plan identifies ten creative skills priorities it says need to be addressed for creative workforces to thrive.

They include business and leadership training, nurturing creative talent and developing a creative workforce that reflects all communities of Wales.

The future talent pipeline will be supported by ensuring availability of entry-level placements, integrating priority sector opportunities into the curriculum at an early age and addressing the disconnect between young people leaving education and industry employment needs.

The plan says its targets will “continue to evolve in response to future opportunities and challenges in the creative industries” during its three-year delivery period.

The Creative Skills Advisory Panel will oversee its delivery, leading an initial review of progress in March 2023.

£1m support plan

The plan is accompanied by a £1m Creative Skills Fund to support its actions.

Administered by Creative Wales, the fund is aimed at organisations and businesses “with a track record of delivering high-quality skills and training projects within the creative industries”.

Funded projects must be for either the screen, digital content or music sectors and aim to deliver against one or more of the plan’s ten priorities.

Guidance notes state that projects designed to improve equality, diverse and inclusive recruitment in the creative sectors or seek to provide work placements, mentoring and industry experience will be prioritised. 

Successful projects will receive between £15,000 and £200,000 for the fund's eligibilty period of 21 September 2022 to 31 March 2024.

A call for funding proposals is now open until 7 November.