We are the future of the Arts

by Helen Olufowobi

 

It is common knowledge that the creative and media industries are difficult to enter, but many of us have ditched what some people deem as conventional degrees that lead to ‘guaranteed’ employment, and are studying arts degrees instead.

University of the Arts London is absolute proof of this, but what exactly do our students plan for themselves in terms of a career when they graduate?

Fine Art – skills and independence

One of the most challenging industries to find employment in is fine art – especially as there are not many straightforward ‘jobs’. Fine art serves as an umbrella to courses such as BA Drawing, BA Painting, and BA Sculpture, to name but a few, all of which are offered at a variety of UAL colleges.

Martin Newth, BA Fine Art Programme Director at Chelsea College of Art and Design, oversees the fine art programmes at the West London-based campus, and explained that fine art graduates take different routes: “Our students go in to all sorts of areas and they absolutely have a portfolio of varying career paths.”

He also pointed out that fine art graduates do not tend to go on to do one particular job, choosing rather to do “lots of different things.”

Newth is particularly interested in making it “clearer to students that the experience of being on a fine art degree provides you with loads of skills and independence; arts students often have way more skills than they realise.”

He highlights how vital it is for arts students to be able to present their work, articulate themselves and think of developing ideas: “We’ve had graduates that have gone on to work in many of the top galleries around the world, but essentially we hope that a good majority of our graduates will leave us wanting to be artists.

"However, normally after graduating they need to find ways to earn money quickly, so I’d hope that we’ve equipped them to do that also.”

Jennifer Evans, 27, a BA Sculpture graduate from Camberwell College of Art and Design believes that her degree is very useful when looking to advance her career: “I think it gives me a wealth of information about art and creativity, which most designers don’t have. It will make me a noticeable candidate when applying for jobs.”

Another sculpture graduate from Camberwell, Francis Thorburn, now runs a non-profit organisation called Field with a photography graduate from the same college, Craig Dow.

Located in The Bun House pub in Peckham, Field helps to “facilitate emerging artists by offering opportunities to create and exhibit work.” Francis has recently been involved in an event called Embrace the Place, which took place at spots around Tate Britain. It featured booming music, dancing, barbeques and more.

Fashion – industry expertise

The inclusion of essential practical elements within arts courses at UAL is something that can only positively aid graduates when applying for work in the creative industries.

Students on BA Fashion Design and Development at London College of Fashion (LCF), are required to complete a 30-week minimum work placement, and all briefs for the second year students are live industry projects.

“After graduation our students go into a range of jobs in the industry. This could be design/pattern cutter, technical developers, buyers, product management, and these would be across the market,” says acting director of the course, Judy Fitzgerald.

There seems to be plenty of possibilities for fashion design and development for students.

Professor Francis Corner, Head of College at LCF, recently spoke with optimism to Arts London News, following early reports of drops in applications to undergraduate arts courses: “I know there’s been lots of bits and pieces in the press but I don’t think that’s really very relevant to us at all. Certainly from the indication of our open days if anything we’ve seen an increase.”

Corner hopes that the experience and specialism of LCF will continue to guarantee application numbers in the future: “We are able to offer these really specialist courses which other places don’t have.”

Corner believes courses in fashion that are ‘too general’ might fare worse than more focused programmes. “We don’t have a BA in fashion. I think that allows students to focus in on what their aspirations are, and so they get really strong skills – whether that’s understanding how to analyse, research or present whatever creation.”

Since most fashion courses will probably charge around £9000 next year, she thinks students will want to make sure their college is well connected to the industry and has the right equipment.

Journalism – quick to respond

Course director of BA Journalism, Paul Charman, shed some light on what a selection of London College of Communication (LCC) journalism graduates go on to do: “70% get a job within a year in the media, doing jobs that aren’t strictly speaking journalism, but are in online media.”

Mentioning that, in the past, a lot of students have also gone into public relations, Charman continued: “We’ve always had a healthy employability rate. Not as many [graduates] as we would like go onto being reporters or feature writers for established titles, either local, regional or national, but they are getting jobs in the media.”

He noted the fact that the college “has been quite quick to respond to the change in demands of the industry,” introducing convergence units such as online, radio, video and sub-editing, which teach students essential skills that are then developed further as they are given tasks to compose stories, all in varying mediums.

These serve to ensure that journalism graduates are fully equipped to get jobs in a sector where traditional methods are in decline and new media is on the rise.

Now working for the Daily Mail, Ailsa Leslie graduated from LCC in 2009 after studying journalism. She worked at the Daily Express while studying for her final year and was offered a place at the Daily Mail before she had graduated.

More recently, Emily Hewett, a journalism graduate from 2011, says that her course taught her “good basics” in preparation for work. Not having any concrete career plans, she knew that she must undertake whatever work was available: “I knew I would have to do a lot of work experience,” she said.

Initially interning at the Foreign Press Association, Hewett then went on to do a Daily Mail graduate scheme, eventually ending up with an offer for a paid job, at the Mail Online. Continuing to freelance for the media group for some time, she developed her career path, switching to work full time for the Metro.

However, not all LCC journalism graduates have had such luck. Veronika Leitner attained a first class degree and has spent the last four months applying for work in journalism, TV production, PR, public affairs and political communications, but to no avail. She recently had an interview at the BBC for three different positions, but is still awaiting a response. 

The future – still  bright

Despite much optimism from within the University, recruitment for arts students can be hard at the moment, as Leitner’s case shows.

With many positions and graduate schemes being cut in an attempt to slash costs, it often feels as if there may not be much hope for graduates.

But as Martin Newth notes, arts students are more prepared than they think for the job world.

With the right contacts and skills, both abundant across UAL, results show that many of our graduates go on to do very well.

We learn early that the creative industries demand a thick skin and an ability to persevere.

]As many graduates and alumni have shown, with enough hard work and determination, relevant job opportunities do come your way.

It may not start out as ‘the dream job’ at the heart of your particular industry; be it fine art, journalism, or something else. But it can be the start of a long line of stepping-stones in the right direction.

Although the future of the arts may seem bleak at times, with the skills that each art student acquires – and a fair bit of graft – there is still much hope.

Celebs line up to highlight the value of the arts

Prominent names including Kevin Spacey, Nick Hornby and, University of the Arts Governing Chair, Sir John Tusa, have thrown their weight behind a report urging against arts cuts in education.

The report, entitled ImagineNation, was produced by The Cultural Learning Alliance, headed by film producer Lord David Puttnam. It argues that grounding in arts and culture in schools improves ability in all subjects, triples the degree prospects of students from lower-income families, and increases the chance of a job.

The document comes after figures produced by The National Association of Schoolmasters and The Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) showed that 13 per cent of schools have already cut arts, drama and music.

Lord Puttnam says: “Learning through culture and the arts leads to creative thinking, confidence and problem solving – all skills which are prized by employers and which young people need. If we fail to offer our young people the opportunity to participate in the arts and culture, then we fail to support them in becoming the leading thinkers, innovators, creative business leaders and community leaders of the future.”

Experience is as valuable as a degree

With the imminent demise of the FdA, other courses are now implementing the practical side of the degree. Kenny Wastell looks at the future for foundation degree graduates

In 2001, the Labour government introduced the Foundation Degree (FdA), which offers students the experience of learning in the workplace as well as in the classroom.

But with the imminent demise of the qualification following cuts to education funding, will it ultimately prove to be worthless a few years down the line?

Like all graduates, FdA alumni currently face a daunting task to find work due to global economic difficulties.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics in October revealed that unemployment in the UK reached 8.1 per cent in August - the highest level since 1994. Even more worrying for students, 21.3 per cent of able workers between the ages of 16 and 24 are currently jobless.Experience, it would appear, is more vital than ever.

Jean Kerrigan, a lecturer and tutor on the FdA Journalism course at London College of Communication (LCC), believes students on the programme will still benefit greatly from the practical skills they have obtained: “Graduates who leave after a two year FdA are in a very strong position to be able to hold their own in a work situation,” she says.

Bold and positive

The course was built on the college’s already respected Higher National Diploma. The HND course was a bold and positive move, specifically involving the launching of this live newspaper, the Arts London News, as an assessed student project.

“But one of the problems with foundation degrees in general, is that employers had to be educated as to their value,” says Kerrigan.

Oliver Reed, a BA photography graduate from LCC, and founder of pop-up photo booth company, Say Fromage, admits to being somewhat unfamiliar with the FdA qualification: “I would probably view a BA as more substantial than an FdA,” he says.

“But being honest, I don’t just judge prospective employees based only on qualifications. Experience, alongside communication and basic practical skills, are also really important. You’ll be surprised how many people can’t handle time-keeping, for example.”

Priceless skills

Konstantina Argyropoulou, who studies FdA Graphics Communication at LCC, is aware of the challenges she will face when looking for a job. She aims to undertake an optional third year to convert her qualification into a BA, and bolster her chances of employment: “I personally don’t feel the FdA is enough to get the job I want,” she says.

“But when the FdA is scrapped it will be hard for students like me to get into a university at all. I couldn’t apply for the BA straight away because I didn’t have the relevant qualifications. But I’m sure I’ll be able to find a job after I top-up.”

In an attempt to meet the demands of students whose courses have been cut, some BA courses are now set to introduce practical elements of the FdA curriculum, and offer places to students who may have otherwise taken this route.

Given the coalition government’s focus on apprenticeships, it is perhaps surprising that the FdA – with its practical focus – is on the way out.

Students may now be worried about the value of having this short-lived qualification on their CV, but they can take comfort in the knowledge that the work placements and practical skills they now boast are priceless.