Creative Graduates' Economic Impact: £126 Billion to UK Economy

Creative graduates are trained to think outside the box and develop innovative solutions to complex problems. Despite this, their value is often overlooked.

To shine a light on this issue, GuildHE and UKADIA have recently launched a new research report titled The Value of Creative Graduates. A steering group of creative specialist higher education providers contributed to this research.

As a leading arts university, Arts University Bournemouth had the honour of contributing to this research. As a partner of this university, AHZ is proud to see AUB actively shaping the future of creative education and advocating for the recognition of creative graduates.

This report looks into the challenges of understanding what creative graduates bring to the table. It highlights the special impact of creative degrees and teaching methods, showing how much specialist creative schools contribute to their local areas, both in cultural and economic ways.  The research is backed by various case studies, providing clear examples of their influence.

And Dr. Kate Wicklow, Policy Director at GuildHE, mentioned, “In 2022, the government estimated that it provided over 2.4 million jobs and generated £126 billion in gross value added (GVA) to the economy.”

Lisa Mann, the Executive Director for Academic Innovation at AUB and representing UKADIA, says:

"Collectively, higher education providers, employers and policymakers need to collaborate to support the future pipeline of creative skills. Creative education has been eroded by austerity and policy change that has impacted access and participation, industry collaboration with education providers, and the role of culture in regional development.

“With the new Labour government, we must come together to address these issues and barriers for the better. Championing the incredible value creative graduates bring to our society, recognising the subsequent economic contribution of the creative industries, and ensuring we collectively commit to improving diversity in the sector will be the first steps to a fairer and more dynamic creative skills system."

However, creative graduates typically excel at articulating ideas both visually and verbally. Their ability to clearly convey complex concepts is an asset in any profession, making it crucial to recognise their value.

At AHZ, we look forward to seeing how this report influences policy and strengthens the role of creative education in driving positive change.