This sector covers all art forms including painting, sculpture, photography and new media. Creative art is said to be experiencing a ‘golden age’, with increased government investment in recent years and large sections of the population enjoying the arts in their various forms.
There has been an estimated 76% increase of adults participating in the arts (Taking Part, Arts Council England, 2007).
The industry is reliant on public funding and there has been considerable investment in the arts by Arts Council England and an increase of government support to the Arts Council.
Although pay is still relatively low, employers are experiencing problems in recruitment due to skills shortages rather than poor salaries. To tackle this, various initiatives are being undertaken to support training schemes and apprenticeships across the industry.
To find out more about this sector, go to www.ccskills.org.uk/Industrystratergies.