1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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

10. ‘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…’

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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.

16. 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

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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 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

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