Creative Industries Federation & FutureLearn join forces to invest £60k in the UK creative industries and skills development
20 January 2021
The Creative Industries Federation, the membership body that represents, champions, and supports the UK’s creative industries, is delighted to announce a new partnership with FutureLearn, the leading social learning platform, to invest £60k into the creative community using the FutureLearn Creative Skills Fund.
The new partnership will see at least £30,000 offered to two successful Federation members – creative practitioners or cross-collaborative consortiums – to develop new online creative skills courses with a very practical focus on the skills and knowledge needed in the creative and cultural sectors. The successful courses will be made available to FutureLearn’s global audience of learners, where the creators will also accrue royalty payments.
As well as the financial incentives, these new online courses will represent an excellent opportunity to upskill the creative workforce in crucial and innovative areas.
“We are looking for people or teams that are an authority or subject matter expert,” explains Amy Taylor at FutureLearn. “We have picked out some broad categories (digital skills, creative & cultural leadership, creative entrepreneurial skills, content monetisation) but we are also interested in what Federation members think will meet demand and will provide real value to learners.”
“The Education and Industry communities within the Federation’s network are rich in expertise and innovation,” said Lee Hornsby, Creative Industries Federation Partnerships Manager, Education & Skills. “In a very difficult period for many across the creative and cultural industries, and at educational institutions, this is a fantastic opportunity to develop something that will have a positive impact in the sector and for the creative workforce looking ahead.”
The collaboration also fits neatly with the Federation’s ongoing work focusing on the people that make the creative industries the success they are, and the skills people need for their careers and businesses to flourish. Lee explains: “We identified in our Creative Coalition: A Plan to Reimagine publication last summer that focusing on people and their creative education and careers at all levels is absolutely vital to us and for the sectors we represent. So, the chance to help facilitate the creation of new online courses that will enable creative people to upskill themselves and grow was too good an opportunity to resist.”
For further application information, see here.
Deadline of 3rd February, 2021.
Creative Industries Federation members only.