Building skills for cultural and creative sectors in the digital era: current needs, trends and challenges

Mara Cerquetti

Abstract


This chapter discusses the role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in training cultural and creative graduates and professionals and improving their skills in the digital era. After analysing how culture and creativity can help innovation worldwide, the paper examines the uniqueness of the cultural and creative sector (CCS) and its positive and negative aspects, such as high rates of precariousness, fluctuations in income, contract instability and difficulty accessing social protection, in addition to its sizeable contribution to the European economy. The discussion then turns to European policies and the scientific literature to understand how the current debate addresses these issues. Among them are the need to fill skills gaps, including entrepreneurship and digital innovation, and the scant consideration given to differences between cultural and creative sub-sectors. In the final part, the essay points out the need to reshape the role of HEIs by improving students’ awareness of and critical thinking regarding their career path and supporting their resilience in uncertain times through co-creativity-based activities.


Full Text

PDF (English)

Riferimenti bibliografici


Argano L. (2016), Sfide manageriali e competenze per il futuro delle organizzazioni culturali, in La formazione al management culturale. Scenari, pratiche, nuove sfide, a cura di A. Taormina, Milano: FrancoAngeli, pp. 48-79.

Ashton D., Noonan C. (2013), Cultural Work and Higher Education, London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Banaji S., Burn A., Buckingham D. (2010), The rhetorics of creativity: a literature review, Newcastle upon Tyne: Creativity, Culture and Education Series.

Banks M. (2020), The work of culture and C-19, «European Journal of Cultural Studies», 23, n. 4, pp. 648-654.

Beckman G. (2007), ‘Adventuring’ Arts Entrepreneurship Curricula in Higher Education: An Examination of Present Efforts, Obstacles, and Best Practices, «Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society», 37, n. 2, pp. 87-112.

Boix Domenech R., De Miguel Molina B., Rausell Köster P. (2022), The impact of cultural and creative industries on the wealth of countries, regions and municipalities, «European Planning Studies», 30, n. 9, pp. 1-21.

Bowes L., Higton J., Spong S., Welford Dr J., Choudhoury A., Francis N. (2018), Skills Needs Assessment for the Creative and Cultural Sector: A Current and Future Outlook, Leicester: CFE Research, https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/download-file/SkillsNeedsAssessment.pdf, 23.12.2022.

Bridgstock R. (2011), Skills for creative industries graduate success, «Education and Training», 53, n. 1, pp. 9‐26.

Bridgstock R. (2013), Not a dirty word: Arts entrepreneurship and higher education, «Arts & Humanities in Higher Education», 12, n. 2-3, pp. 122-137.

Brook O., O’Brien D., Taylor M. (2018), There was no golden age: Social mobility into cultural and creative occupations, California Digital Library, https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/7njy3.

Carey H., O’Brien D., Gable O. (2021), Social mobility in the creative economy: Rebuilding and levelling up?, London: Nesta, https://cdn2.assets-servd.host/creative-pec/production/assets/publications/PEC-report-Social-mobility-in-the-Creative-Economy-Sept-2021.pdf, 23.12.2022.

Carvalho A., Matos A. (2018), Museum Professionals in a Digital World: Insights from a Case Study in Portugal, «Museum International», 70, n. 277-278, pp. 34-47.

Cerquetti C., Compagnucci L., Cossiri A., Gistri G., Spigarelli F. (2021), Fostering student entrepreneurial skills in SSHs. The case of ‘Impresa in Aula’, «Piccola Impresa/Small Business», n. 1, pp. 119-139.

Cimatti B. (2016), Definition, development, assessment of soft skills and their role for the quality of organizations and enterprises, «International Journal for Quality Research», 10, n. 1, pp. 97-130.

DCMS (2016), Creative Industries: Focus on Employment, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/534305/Focus_on_Employment_revised_040716.pdf, 23.12.2022.

De Propris L. (2013), How are creative industries weathering the crisis?, «Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society», n. 6, pp. 23-35.

Donato F. (2013), La crisi sprecata. Per una riforma dei modelli di governance e di management del patrimonio culturale italiano, Roma: Aracne.

Donato F. (2021), Cultura, patrimonio culturale e creatività nelle politiche della ricerca europee, «Il capitale culturale. Studies on the Value of Cultural Heritage», n. 24, pp. 341-359.

European Commission (2010a), Unlocking the Potential of Cultural and Creative Industries, Green Paper, Brussels, 27.4.2010, COM(2010) 183 final, https://op.europa.eu/it/publication-detail/-/publication/1cb6f484-074b-4913-87b3-344ccf020eef/language-en, 23.12.2022.

European Commission (2010b), A Digital Agenda for Europe, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, COM(2010)245 final, Brussels, 19.5.2010, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:0245:FIN:EN:PDF, 23.12.2022.

European Commission (2013), Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan. Reigniting the entrepreneurial spirit in Europe, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, COM(2012) 795 final, Brussels, 9.1.2013, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52012DC0795&from=EN, 23.12.2022.

European Commission (2019), Impulse paper on the role of cultural and creative sectors in innovating European industry, Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2873/509380.

European Parliament, Council of the European Union (2008), Decision no. 1350/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 concerning the European Year of Creativity and Innovation (2009), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32008D1350&from=EN, 23.12.2022.

Federculture (2022), Impresa Cultura. Lavoro e innovazione: le strategie per crescere, 18° Rapporto Annuale Federculture 2022, Roma: Gangemi.

Gainon-Court M.-A., Vuillaume D. (2016), Can Museums Keep Up with a Changing World? Skills Management as a Practical Response, «Museum International», n. 269-270, pp. 81-96.

Giles L., Spilsbury M., Carey H. (2020), Workplace perspectives: Skill needs, mismatches and development in the Creative Industries, London: Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre led by Nesta, https://cdn2.assets-servd.host/creative-pec/production/assets/publications/PEC-Skills-Monitor-FINAL-July-2020.pdf, 23.12.2022.

Gilmore A, Comunian R. (2016), Beyond the campus: higher education, cultural policy and the creative economy, «International Journal of Cultural Policy», 22, n. 1, pp. 1-9.

Guile D.J. (2010), Learning to work in the creative and cultural sector: new spaces, pedagogies and expertise, «Journal of Education Policy», 25, n. 4, pp. 465-484.

Harte D., Long P., Naudin A. (2019), The university as intermediary for the creative economy: Pedagogues, policy-makers and creative workers in the curriculum, «Arts and Humanities in Higher Education», 18, n. 2-3, pp. 120-139.

ICOM (2020), Museums, museum professionals and COVID-19, Report, https://icom.museum/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Report-Museums-and-COVID-19.pdf, 23.12.2022.

Jensen S. (2019), What a curator needs to know – the development of professional museum work and the skills required in Danish museums 1964–2018, «Museum Management and Curatorship», 34, n. 5, pp. 468-485.

Kant I. (1784), Beantwortung der Frage: Was ist Aufklärung?, Berlinische Monatsschrift, XII, pp. 481-494.

Kooyman R. (2009), The Entrepreneurial Dimension of Cultural and Creative Industries. Preliminary inventory of existing literature, Utrecht University of Arts HKU, Utrecht, http://www.nxt-creatives.eu/userfiles/File/customfiles/the-entrepreneurial-dimension-of-the-cultural-and-creative-industries_20161110154211.pdf, 23.12.2022.

Lazzeretti L., Capone F., Innocenti N. (2018), The rise of cultural and creative industries in creative economy research: a bibliometric analysis, in Creative industries and entrepreneurship: paradigms in transition in a global perspective, edited by L. Lazzeretti, M. Vecco, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp. 13-34.

Lazzeretti L., Oliva S., Innocenti N., Capone F. (2022), Rethinking culture and creativity in the digital transformation, «European Planning Studies», pp. 1-8.

Marty P. (2006), Finding the skills for tomorrow: Information literacy and museum information professionals, «Museum Management and Curatorship», 21, n. 4, pp. 317-335.

Massi M., Vecco M., Lin Y., edited by (2020), Digital Transformation in the Cultural and Creative Industries. Production, Consumption and Entrepreneurship in the Digital and Sharing Economy, London: Routledge.

McRobbie A. (2002), Clubs to Companies: Notes on the Decline of Political Culture in Speeded Up Creative Worlds, «Cultural Studies», n. 16, pp. 516-531.

Mercer C. (2011), Which skills for culture in a globalised and digitised world?, EENC Paper, October 2011, European Expert Network on Culture (EENC), https://eenc.eu/uploads/eenc-eu/2021/04/21/e0bd39b1fabcefc5676f837cb4d92c10.pdf, 23.12.2022.

Mietzner D., Kamprath M. (2013), A Competence Portfolio for Professionals in the Creative Industries, «Creativity and innovation management», 22, n. 3, pp. 280-294.

Naudin A., Agusita E. (2021), Rethinking Cultural and Creative Entrepreneurship Education, in European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Academic Conferences International Limited, pp. 628-XXV.

NEMO (2020), Survey on the impact of the COVID-19 situation on museums in Europe, Final Report, https://www.ne-mo.org/fileadmin/Dateien/public/NEMO_documents/NEMO_COVID19_Report_12.05.2020.pdf, 23.12.2022.

Noonan C. (2015), Constructing creativities. Higher education and the cultural industries workforce, in The Routledge companion to the cultural industries, edited by K. Oakley, J. O’Connor, London: Routledge, pp. 442-451.

OECD (2022), The Culture Fix: Creative People, Places and Industries, Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED), Paris: OECD Publishing, https://doi.org/10.1787/991bb520-en.

Pardo-Garcia C., Barac M. (2020), Promoting employability in higher education: A case study on boosting entrepreneurship skills, «Sustainability», 12, n. 10, 4004.

Parry R., Eikhof D.R., Barnes S.-A., Kispeter E. (2018), Development, Supply, Deployment, Demand: Balancing the Museum Digital Skills Ecosystem: First Findings, in MW18: Museums and the Web 2018 (Vancouver, Canada, April 18-21 2018), https://mw18.mwconf.org/paper/development-supply-deployment-demand-balancing-the-museum-digital-skills-ecosystem-first-findings-of-the-one-by-one-national-digital-literacy-project/, 23.12.2022.

Pilege E., Plota S., Pilegis G., Zivitere M. (2021), ACT Digital: The Strategic Role of Analytics, Creativity and Technologies for Cultural and Creative Sector and Education, in Digital Presentation and Preservation of Cultural and Scientific Heritage, Conference Proceedings, vol. 11, Sofia: Institute of Mathematics and Informatics – BAS, pp. 135-150.

Poce A. (2019), Information and data literacy skills development in Creative Industries Adult Education: the Digiculture project, «Pedagogia Oggi / Rivista SIPED», XVII, n. 2, pp. 184-201.

Quaglia R. (2020), FOQUS, Napoli. Un nuovo modello sociale che produce cambiamento, in Rimediare Ri-mediare. Saperi, tecnologie, culture, comunità, persone, a cura di F. De Biase, Milano: FrancoAngeli, pp. 261-268.

Robinson S., Stubberud H.A. (2014), Teaching creativity, team work and other soft skills for entrepreneurship, «Journal of Entrepreneurship Education», 17, n. 2, pp. 186-197.

Schramme A. (2016), Riflessioni sulla formazione al management culturale in Europa, in La formazione al management culturale. Scenari, pratiche, nuove sfide, a cura di A. Taormina, Milano: FrancoAngeli, pp. 23-42.

Schulz B. (2008), The Importance of Soft Skills: Education beyond academic knowledge, «NAWA Journal of Language and Communication», June, pp. 146-154.

Silvaggi A., edited by (2017), Museum Professionals in the Digital Era. Agents of change and innovation, http://www.project-musa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/MuSA-Museum-professionals-in-the-digital-era-full-version.pdf, 23.12.2022.

Sturabotti D., Surace R., edited by (2017), Museums of the Future. Insights and reflections from 10 international museums, http://www.project-musa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/MuSA-Museum-of-the-future.pdf, 23.12.2022.

Succi C., Canovi M. (2020), Soft skills to enhance graduate employability: comparing students and employers’ perceptions, «Studies in Higher Education», 45, n. 9, pp. 1834-1847.

UNESCO (2021), Cultural and Creative Industries in the Face of COVID-19. An Economic Impact Outlook, Report, https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000377863, 23.12.2022.

van Laar E., van Deursen A.J.A.M., van Dijk J.A.G.M., de Haan J. (2020), Measuring the levels of 21st-century digital skills among professionals working within the creative industries: A performance-based approach, «Poetics», n. 81, pp. 1-14.

van Lakerveld J.A., Vroonhof P., Broek S., Stoutjesdijk F.D., van Loo S.B. (2017), Skills, Training and Knowledge Transfer for Traditional and Emerging Heritage Professions, Leiden: Plato, Ockam, Panteia, https://eenca.com/eenca/assets/File/EENCA%20publications/request%2011_final-report-on-emerging-heritage-professions-23062017.pdf, 23.12.2022.

Wickens J.D.J., Hess Norris D. (2018), The Imperative of Soft Skill Development in Preventive Conservation Practice and Training, «Studies in Conservation», 63, n. 1, pp. 301-306.

Zardini Lacedelli S., Tamma M., Fazzi F. (2019), Digital education as a catalyst for museum transformation: the case of the “Museums and New Digital Cultures” course, «European Journal of Cultural Management and Policy», 9, n. 2, pp. 47-65.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.13138/2039-2362/3177

Copyright (c) 2023 IL CAPITALE CULTURALE. Studies on the Value of Cultural Heritage


Licenza Creative Commons edita dall'eum e gestita dall'Università di Macerata, Dipartimento di Scienze della formazione, dei beni culturali e del turismo, Sezione di Beni Culturali, piazzale Bertelli 1, 62100 Macerata, Italia.

Adotta specifiche politiche per la gestione e protezione dei dati.