In July 2010, Ed Vaizey, the Minister for Culture, Communications and the Creative Industries asked us to undertake a Review of the skills needs of the UK’s video games and visual effects industries and to make practical recommendations for how these needs can be met. Being passionate believers in the cultural and economic contributions our two industries make to the UK, and having managed skills gaps and shortages at the coalface ourselves, we both leapt at the opportunity. Six months later, after an intensive period consulting our fellow practitioners, school teachers and university lecturers and conducting a comprehensive programme of data gathering and original research, we are presenting Next Gen:Transforming the UK into the world’s leading talent hub for the video games and visual effects industries.
Though there are important differences between our industries, we recognised that many of the skills we draw on are similar. They both combine art and digital technology, and rely on a highly specialist, yet flexible, workforce that can adapt to furious rates of technological change. We felt that the education system was not meeting the needs of our industries.
But during the course of the Review we learned that a lot more than the future of our two industries rests on addressing the challenges we have identified in this report. That if the UK is to retain its global strengths in the high-tech creative and digital industries more generally it must urgently address the need for more rigorous teaching of computing in schools. That government and industry have a shared responsibility for supporting excellent university courses that teach industry-essential skills but which would struggle in a completely free market. That the changes in the education system that are needed to support the fusion of art and technology skills – the defining feature of our two industries – are essential for the future of all of the UK’s creative and digital industries.
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In this report we detail a set of 20 recommendations for government, educators and industry, identifying clearly in each case where we see lead responsibility lying. We have set out a blueprint for change, and look forward to working with government, educators and industry to make it happen.