DCMS Creative Economy Programme (CEP)

Creative Economy and Diversity  

DCMS has been leading this major initiative which is aimed at identifying opportunities, proposing strategies and recommending actions for sustaining the role of the creative industries in economic development in the UK.  The work of CEP has been progressed through specialist working groups which have been working on the following key areas during the last few months: 

• Infrastructure
• Competition and Intellectual Property
• Access to Finance and Business Support      
• Education and Skills     
• Diversity      
• Technology     
• Evidence and Analysis 

A draft report, which forms the basis for an extensive consultation highlights the benefits of “creating a level playing field between all groups and practices whilst bearing in mind that as with all complex problems, there is no single proposal that can provide a solution.  The best approach to diversifying the creative industries is to understand the people and businesses we are dealing with, identify the barriers to greater diversity, and take action on all of the barriers simultaneously.  But, by focusing on skills and chances that minority groups seem to find particularly challenging the proposals are likely to work in their favour.  In the short term, this may benefit the same groups currently profiting from the creative industries.  In the long term it would tackle deeper systemic problems, providing a wider range of groups with a route into employment and more support for achieving their potential.  There is scope to tailor these recommendations to the needs of specific groups where they are seen to face a particular challenge”. 

The Diversity Working Group has identified a number of priorities for action. These will be discussed in future posts and consist of:

• Learning     
• Choices      
• Skills
• Access
• Opportunities      
• Infrastructure      
• Leadership, and      
• Market Making  

I am a member of the DCMS/CEP Diversity Working Group, which has published its draft report for consultation and also produced an executive summary. These reports, which are now public, inform the critical debate that I intend to progress here. Links to the documents are provided below. 

Key Links:  

The link to the main site for the DCMS Creative Economy Programme is http://www.cep.culture.gov.uk  

The link to the full reports of all working groups is http://www.cep.culture.gov.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.viewSection&intSectionID=340  

The link to the full draft full report of the Diversity Working Group is http://headshift.com/dcms/mt/archives/blog_36/Diversity%20-%20final.doc  

The link to the draft executive summary of the Diversity Working Group report is http://www.cep.culture.gov.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.viewSection&intSectionID=340