Aim Evidence enduring contribution of art, design and media graduates to UK creative capital, creative industries, other sectors of the economy, culture, education and society as a whole. Investigate graduate career patterns by exploring activities and forms of employment up to 6 years after graduation

Case for the study Sector and institutional drivers Evidence the value of a creative and cultural education for different spheres of employment Fuller understanding of destinations and career patterns o inform curriculum, employability strategies and research, and for lobbying purposes Inadequate information from DLHE on career patterns Lack of information on the international dimension Provide an updated picture 10 years on from ‘Destinations and Reflections’, 1998

Related agendas Synergy between higher education and the growth of creative industries Knowledge about how the creative sector works Career choices, opportunities and how they are accessed Higher level skills, gaps in provision and CPD needs Demographics, graduate mobility and regional agendas

Key findings of ‘Destinations and Reflections’ Demonstrated : Contribution of higher education to creative industries growth A creative education provides an approach to formulating and solving problems within a critical framework that develops high-level intellectual skills Graduates’ generic capability for wider roles

Key findings of ‘Destinations and Reflections’ Graduates: Long gestation period Tendency to converge back to art and design related work Multi-tracking approach involving ingenuity and tenacity Flexible and adaptable and have skills employers want Apply creativity in a rich diversity of work

Key findings of ‘Destinations and Reflections’ Graduates (cont.): Value creative input over financial gain in terms of job satisfaction Motivated by ethical considerations Pre-disposition for work in education, community and the not-for-profit sectors. Experience multiple income streams - ‘portfolio’ careers Work collaboratively Undertake further study and CPD to enhance career prospects

Key findings of ‘Destinations and Reflections’ Graduates: Considered self-reliance, confidence, analysis, critique, synthesis, initiative, creativity, independent judgement, flexibility, adaptability important and developed these attributes on their courses Limited by less well-developed skills in written communication, numeracy, teamworking and self-promotion Found courses lacked business/professional studies and career guidance

Key findings of ‘Destinations and Reflections’ Low levels of unemployment < 5% 42% had had some form of self-employment since graduating 1 in 5 were self employed or freelance at time of survey 94% of self-employment was related to art and design More than 2 out of 3 were working in SMEs with 26% in organisations with 10 or fewer employees.

Factors inhibiting success Lacked awareness of how the sector (fragmented) and industry works and how to access opportunities = limited job search Models for ‘success’ – ‘stars’ Prevalence of contract economy, freelance and ‘portfolio’ working patterns Debt = deferral of ‘professional mindset’ & career decisions. Poor professional and project management skills Erratic transition – isolation, effect on confidence

‘I feel I wasn’t at all prepared for the professional world ‘I feel I wasn’t at all prepared for the professional world. Most of the time, I feel that I am lacking the skills to do the work that is expected of me.’ ‘Being in education is easy – you can put off the real world for so long and then finally we’re at the point where it’s OK, what are you going to do? I feel anxiety about the whole thing…’

Emerging findings Creative arts graduates express satisfaction with their higher education experiences and in their working lives At the time of the survey: 3 out of 4 currently in a creative occupation and/or creative industries Almost half in multiple work activities – ‘portfolio’ working 1 in 6 – working lives combining more than three activities 1 in 3 - working freelance or running own business

Emerging findings Almost half working on their own or employed in micro-businesses (fewer than 10 employees or workers) Fewer than 1 in 20 unemployed and seeking work Graduates are true lifelong learners, with over half continuing to develop their practice and undertake further learning since graduating Approx 25% of respondents had undertaken study at postgraduate level, most commonly MAs

Work experience and placements More than half had formal course-related work placements during their courses Similar number had informal work experience through term-time or vacation work Valued work-related experiences more than unrelated

Emerging findings – courses Skills developed on courses Most: creativity and innovation, visual skills, presenting work and ideas Least: understanding client needs, networking, IT/software Course activities Experienced/useful: PPD, team working and teaching by practitioners Least experienced/useful: exchanges, international experience, volunteering

AD6110 Professional Practice. 20 credit module (200 hours of study) Module aims are to: Explore and develop a functional knowledge of professional contexts in relation to employability and independent practice within creative economy professions and related activities. Identify and enhance transferable skills in the context of art and design practices within professional, independent, collaborative and industry contexts. Gain insight and experience in contemporary cultural industries marketing, promotion strategies and methods. Recognise and understand the importance of key ethical and moral issues in relation to contemporary professional practice in art and design Facilitate collaborative engagement on live projects, commissions and the final year exhibition Establish or contribute to networks in appropriate areas of professional development.

A series of staff and guest lectures expands the student’s knowledge-base and provides a grounding in the understanding of a number of professional contexts related to independent and collaborative practice and career pathways for artists and designers. Professional Practice working groups are established between staff and students, which are then peer coordinated. Formative assessment and feedback is facilitated through an ongoing engagement with the student portfolio blog. Illustrative of the approaches that may be taken: Lectures, seminars and discussion workshops on generic and discipline specific professional practice issues. Blogging on professional practice issues explored in lectures and seminars Undertaking live projects and responding to client driven needs. Specific task orientated collaborative working groups Online portfolio development and professional network building

On completion of this module students are expected to be able to:   Analyse, synthesise and critically reflect on art and design professional practices and networks with specific reference to personal practice, ambitions and aspirations. Strategically select, critically examine and effectively present a portfolio of images or other materials related to personal creative practice that articulates its specific context. Demonstrate the ability to collaborate effectively and achieve team tasks. Deploy a range of techniques of visual enquiry to meet client driven needs.

Average work effort in terms of independent study needs to be 6 hrs per week on this module. This will be made up of research into the world of professional practice relevant to your area of practice or where you see you career development in the short term. This process will be presented in the form of an online PORTFOLIO BLOG that shows your analysis of your particular ambitions, identifies strengths and targets weaknesses to help you progress towards meeting those ambitions.

Assessment   Portfolio Blog (60% of Assessment) The assessment of the portfolio Blog will be based on the submitted blog and a 2400 word summary, which will highlight from your perspective key developments in your understanding of professional practice in your discipline. The brief for the portfolio blog Is that it should contain: Your reflection / reporting on the lecture content agendas etc and how this informs your understanding of the professional world; A critique or review of at least four cultural products / events such as an exhibition, book, film, theatre production, design, architectural space or object for example; Research into professional practice in your preferred discipline and related practices; A live creative project that has been commissioned by a client outside the degree programme; Your reflection and development of all of your work during the year; Research into the task areas for the degree show development; Your promotional material, CV and press release text for the degree show.

Assessment   Professional Interview / Portfolio Review (40% of assessment) The module also provides the opportunity for each student to make a presentation about their work and ambitions to a panel of professionals in their field of interest. This will take place between weeks 31 and 33 in Feb /March 2016. The assessment of performance in this presentation accounts for 40% of the module weighting with the focus on the presentation of the work being produced in response to live projects. Assessment will look at the level of self-awareness of your position in relation to these projects, your career ambitions and how you meet the expectations of your professional area of practice. The assessment of your presentation to the panel will contribute 40% of the overall mark for the module

Portfolio Blog Set up https://wordpress. com/ https://tomjrobinson