Government announces 5000 new jobs in creative industries

Posted: 29 May 2009

Andy Burnham and James Purnell unveil plans for new jobs in culture, music and creative industries

Government plans to create between five and ten thousand new jobs for young people in the culture and creative industries sectors were set out  by Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell and Culture Secretary Andy Burnham.

Local councils, third sector groups, arts organisations and creative industry bodies will be able to bid for Government funding for new, innovative jobs.

The new jobs are being created as part of the £1.1bn Future Jobs Fund announced in the Budget earlier this year.  Plans for the culture and creative sectors will include working with orchestras, arts organisations, heritage bodies and the music industry.  The Culture Department is already working with key stakeholders in the cultural sector to put together partnerships that include music and arts leaders; the Heritage Lottery Fund; Arts Council England; the National Museums Directors Conference; the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and many others.

Already UK Music has been working with Government to explore how creative industries can help get young people into work. Following negotiations with the live music industry, UK Music has developed a programme, working with Jobcentre Plus, to offer 200 jobs to young unemployed people around this summer's music festivals. The Future Jobs Fund is the next step of this support and will help to deliver the opportunity of work or training for every 18 to 24 year old job seeker who has been out of work for up to a year. The music industry proposals would ensure that all young people involved would receive relevant skills-based training from some of the UK's largest promoters of live music.
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Speaking at the launch of Lifting People, Lifting Places, the Government’s vision for how culture, media and sport can play a part in helping the economy recover, Andy Burnham said: 'It’s a fact that the UK punches well above its weight in the cultural and creative industries.  International recognition and awards for British talent and content show what we’re really good at.   But getting in to these sectors can be hard, especially for young people and those coming from disadvantaged groups and deprived communities.  The Budget announcement of a £1 billion jobs fund provides a real chance to help put this right. It’s great that music festival organisers are keen to bid for investment as early as this summer,   and we are in active discussions across the cultural and creative industries. I know that many others in our sectors will be keen to join in too. The announcement of more than 5,000 jobs in the culture and creative industries builds on the enthusiastic response we have already seen from sports organisations of 5,000 jobs for a new young generation of coaches. This investment is a golden opportunity to create real jobs for Britain’s young talent of the future.'

At the same event, James Purnell added:
'It’s fantastic that the whole arts world is getting behind the Future Jobs Fund – together we can make a real difference. We want this fund to create real jobs in interesting and socially worthwhile industries so people can get the skills and qualifications they need for jobs for the future. Jobs for young people in the culture and creative industries will do just that. In past recessions, young people were written off – working together we can make sure that doesn’t happen again.'

www.dcms.gov.uk

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