Government set to 'boost' creative sectors with £20m investment

The UK’s creative industries have received more than £20m to attract new talent and scale up existing businesses.

According to the government, the funding will be used to provide education and boost skills. It was announced by creative industries minister, Margot James, during a visit to Dudley Technical College.

The creative sectors now contribute more than £100bn to the UK’s economy, therefore the government is aiming to ‘boost’ this as much as possible.

The new funding includes a new £14m Creative Careers Programme, aiming to raise awareness of employment opportunities in the sector across schools and colleges, reaching more than 160,000 students by 2020.

Furthermore, a £4m programme to help scale up creative enterprises in Bristol, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands - helping creative businesses to access finance and translate their ideas into investment.

And £2m is being put into the continuous ‘Get it Right’ campaign until 2021 - helping to educate consumers on the dangers of copyright infringement and direct them to legitimate sources of creative content online.

Margot James said: “Millions of people around the world enjoy our world-class creative and cultural output every day and we want to stay as a frontrunner in these vibrant sectors.

“Our creative industries are a vital part of the economy, contributing over £100 billion to the economy so it is important we maintain the pipeline of talent.

“This package will take the sector from strength to strength by arming the next generation of creatives with the necessary skills and giving businesses in the sector the support they need to succeed.”

The initiative will also aim to boost the number of apprenticeships to 3,000 across the creative industries by 2025.

Tim Davie, co-chair of the Creative Industries Council, added: “One year on from the government’s announcement of its industrial strategy, it’s excellent to see delivery of the commitments in the landmark Creative Industries Sector Deal. Our world-class creative sector is a powerhouse built on brilliant ideas.

“It’s vital we ensure a healthy pipeline of diverse talent to continue building on our creative success, and that we ensure a strong business environment to maximise the potential of those ideas. These commitments will provide vital support in both areas, to help our industries thrive.”

The cash injection follows the publication of new figures which reveal the value of the creative industries to the UK is up from £94.8bn in 2016 to £101.5bn.

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