Play Your Part: Creative Skillset launch cross-sector workforce surveys

Those working in the Creative Industries in the UK are invited to share their opinions through the Creative Skillset Workforce Survey.

The survey will focus on TV, Radio, Film, Animation, VFX, Digital Media and Games. The results will help inform funding to develop skills and training programmes for those in the Creative Industries through initiatives such as the Skills Investment Funds (SIFs), which will total £22million when matched with industry funding in 2015.

Employees and freelancers will be asked about their career development in the Creative Industries including entry routes, training needs and barriers to progression. The survey offers individuals a unique opportunity to shape future training and skills development both for themselves and their industry. Through sharing their personal experiences, creative professionals will help to ensure that the quality of career support available matches that of their own work.

The last Creative Skillset Workforce Survey was carried out in 2010, with over 3,000 people taking part. The results identified that barriers to career development were high, with 88% of the workforce experiencing obstacles to accessing training, and training fees being too high the main issue. In response, Creative Skillset has invested over £1.4m in individuals so that they could fund their chosen training.

Creative Skillset CEO Dinah Caine, CBE, says: “The Creative Skillset workforce survey of 2014 is a unique chance to play your part in helping us identify skills and training needs in the creative industries. Your contribution will help us develop new and better ways to plug those gaps, directly benefiting its workforce.”

Industry leaders are already onboard and strongly encouraging those working in the sector to take part.  David Abraham, CEO of Channel 4, says: “The UK has some of the most talented creative professionals in the world. We need to ensure that we ask them what they need to further develop their skills and give them the best support we can at every stage of their career.”

The survey takes around 15 minutes to complete and will remain available until Friday 21 November 2014. Anyone completing the survey will be eligible to enter the prize draw to win one of three IPAD Minis.

To contribute, please visit: http://panels.creativeskillset.org/s/playyourpart2014/