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Making the Creative Majority

Making the Creative Majority: An APPG for Creative Diversity report on ‘What Works’ to support diversity and inclusion in creative education and the talent pipeline, with a focus on the 16+ age category.  

Making the Creative Majority is the culmination of a collaborative research project, commissioned by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Creative Diversity. It represents a partnership between the APPG Creative Diversity with King's College London, University of the Arts London, University of Manchester and the Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre (Creative PEC), with support from YouTube and Paul Hamlyn Foundation

‘Making the Creative Majority’ analyses ‘What Works’ to support equity, diversity and inclusion in creative education and identifies critical points for intervention for the creative industries, education providers and policymakers to ensure the UK’s creative industries are inclusive and equitable.

The report provides a comprehensive understanding of the efficacy of current creative Higher Education (HE) pathways, and indicates key recommendations for the UK Government and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to improve diversity and inclusion in the UK’s creative higher education.  

Making the Creative Majority is the second report commissioned by the APPG. In 2021, the APPG published the Creative Majority  on ‘What Works’ to foster equity, diversity and inclusion within the creative economy. The findings identified creative education as a key area for further research on how to support a more equitable, inclusive and diverse creative economy, and led to Making the Creative Majority. 

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1. Introduction

 

2. Creative Higher Education: insights from UCAS and Census 2021

3. Creative Higher Education: Graduate data and diversity measures

 

4. "What Works" to support equity, diversity and inclusion in Creative Higher Education: Widening participation

 

5. "What Works" to support equity, diversity and inclusion in Creative Education: Work-integrated learning and internships

 

6. "What Works" to support equity, diversity and inclusion in Creative Higher Education: Apprenticeships

7. Conclusion and Policy Recommendations

 

 

"This APPG report’s findings illuminate not just the challenges but also the opportunities that lie ahead. The underrepresentation of individuals from global majority backgrounds, the clear class crisis, and gender disparities highlight an urgent call to action. This report critically sets out ‘What Works’ to begin building a more equitable creative education system for those aged 16+ and to dismantling the obstacles facing the next generation of creative talent. If we are to remain a creative nation, systemic change is not just necessary but absolutely vital."

Chi Onwurah MP, Co-Chair, APPG for Creative Diversity

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Creative Diversity was formed in May 2019 by Ed Vaizey MP (now Lord Vaizey). It was set up with the support of Alex Pleasants, formerly Ed Vaizey’s senior policy adviser, and Joanna Abeyie MBE, leading diversity consultant and CEO of Blue Moon. Its aim is to engage with industry and government to identify and tackle obstacles to equity, diversity and inclusion in the creative sector. Baroness Deborah Bull and Chi Onwurah MP are now co-chairs, giving the group prominent voices in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The group’s vice-chairs and officers bring a further wealth of political and industry experience and include Baroness Floella Benjamin, Baroness Jane Bonham-Carter, Lord Ed Vaizey, Helen Grant MP, Kim Johnson MP, Baroness Gail Rebuck. Alex Pleasants and Joanna Abeyie MBE provide the secretariat for the group. Professor Roberta Comunian, Dr Tamsyn Dent and Dr Natalie Wreyford from the Department of Culture, Media & Creative Industries, Faculty of Arts & Humanities, King’s College London, alongside Professor Dave O’Brien from the Department of Art History and Cultural Practices, School of Arts, Languages and Cultures, University of Manchester constituted the core research team. They were supported by Tessa Read from Creative Shift, Academic Enhancement at University of the Arts London, Dr Mark Taylor from the Sheffield Methods Institute, University of Sheffield, Professor Sarah Jewell, University of Reading and post-doctoral researchers Dr Atif Ghani (University of the Arts London), Dr Ruth Brown, Dr Kate Shorvon, Scott Caizley, Aditya Polisetty and Yolanda Tong Wu (King’s College London) and Dr Sonkurt Sen (University of Bonn).

Authors and project leads: Prof Roberta Comunian, Dr Tamsyn Dent, Prof Dave O’Brien, Tessa Read and Dr Natalie Wreyford. Research team: Dr Ruth Brown, Scott Caizley, Dr Atif Ghani, Professor Sarah Jewell, Aditya Polisetty, Dr Sonkurt Sen, Dr Kate Shorvon, Dr Mark Taylor and Yolanda Tong Wu.

Illustration by Hannah Balogun | Design by Praline | With thanks to the APPG’s sponsors: King’s College London, The University of Manchester, University of the Arts London, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and YouTube. This work is co-funded by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC) via the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). With thanks to King’s Culture, the knowledge exchange institute for cultural and creative collaborations at King’s College London, including colleagues Beatrice Pembroke, Daniel Walker and Emma Hardy.

 

 

"King’s is proud to have worked with the Creative Diversity APPG and this influential group of partners to uncover tangible ways we can ensure a more just and inclusive creative workforce, starting with more sustainable and equitable entry paths into the sector, including the vital role of Higher Education. This research should be seen as a call-to-action, as the findings clearly show that efforts to widen participation and pathways into HE are currently not resulting in a more diverse workforce. I hope that the vital recommendations made in this report will help provide a useful guide for those with the power to make the necessary structural changes – from policymakers and creative organisations to businesses and educational institutions - that will have long lasting impact that benefits us all."

Beatrice Pembroke, Executive Director, King’s Culture

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