SkillsHub- Creative and Leisure Industries Council, VIC
About you or your organisation
SkillsHub is the Victorian body responsible for assisting the creative & leisure industries to access government funded training and workforce development opportunities. We also provide strategic advice to government on skills needs in the creative and leisure sectors.
Do you support the development of a National Cultural Policy, and why?
Yes, there should be greater clarity and consistency in the direction of cultural policy and funding.
What are your views about each of the four goals?
Goal 1: SkillsHub supports this goal and agrees that diversity must be reflected in our cultural outputs, cultural institutions and the creative and cultural industries workforce. From a skills perspective, vocational pathways in the arts must be strengthened to ensure participation from Indigenous and other stakeholders is strengthened. This includes improved pathways for volunteer arts and community and cultural development workers.
Goal 2: The cultural and creative industries have the ability to encourage participation and build capacity in the area of emerging technologies. There is a need to support the cultural and creative sector to develop essential 21st century skills in digital technologies. This will also promote greater access to culture.
Goal 3: Agree. Strategies must be put in place to ensure that Australian stories continue to be told. This includes demands on content being produced for film and television, support for the writing and publishing industry etc. Key to reforms in this area is ensuring that a diversity of talent and voices are supported through funding initiatives.
Goal 4: SkillsHub welcomes the Minister's recognition that the arts contribute to economic, social and regional development. The arts engage communities and increase participation in education and work. The arts also contributes to raising innovation and improving our economic productivity. Strong cultural hubs mean that people are attracted to metropolitan and regional communities.
Support for education and skills in the arts will mean that we can continue to prosper on all levels.
What strategies do you think we could use to achieve each of the four goals?
Goal 1:
1.1 Increase access for all Australian's to participate in education and training in the arts.
1.2 Ensure that funding models are relevant to the arts industry and support tailored skills initiatives for Indigenous communities and other stakeholders
1.3 Support the development of more arts apprenticeships and traineeships to provide alternative career pathways and greater access to the sector.
1.4 Provide formal skills recognition and training to the many volunteers that work in the sector.
Goal 2:
2.1 Encourage tailored skills development in digital technologies - particularly in relation to NBN. Greater skills in content creation, digital interactive media and digital archiving are required by the arts sector.
Goal 3:
3.1 Support the "elite" end of story telling through grants and funding opportunities for writers, script writers, musicians etc
3.2 Encourage "grassroots" participation through access to skills in writing and professional development opportunities
3.3 Support the Australian publishing industry to ensure Australian content is widely published and distributed in the face of global competition and distribution via the internet.
Goal 4:
4.1 Provide support for arts to be part of earliest education, vocational and higher education.
4.2 Provide tailored workforce development opportunities to the arts sector.
4.3 Develop better methods for capturing data on the creative and cultural industries workforce
How can you, your organisation or sector contribute to the goals and strategies of the National Cultural Policy?
SkillsHub can provide advice on vocational education and training for the arts sectors. In particular we have worked on a number of projects that may be relevant to consider including:
Making it Reel - Screen Traineeships Project Game Plan - skills for digital interactive media and games sector SkillUp Green - Zoos Victoria sustainability skills project Development of National Dance qualifications on behalf of Innovation and Business Skills Australia.
Are there any other goals you would like to see included in the National Cultural Policy?
No