New research from the Australia Council for the Arts and the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has found that students in creative degrees can benefit from industry and community-based learning.
Chief Executive of the Australia Council, Adrian Collette said the Council’s Creativity at Work Report examined a pilot program run by the QUT School of Creative Practice that placed final year Bachelor of Fine Arts students into industry and community settings.
Mr Collette said the pilot program aimed to help students apply their creative skills across different professional situations and to work collaboratively with people from diverse areas of expertise.
“The Report highlights the need for new approaches to preparing the creative professionals of the future,” he said.
“We know that creative practitioners are increasingly working and applying creative skills beyond the creative sector and that creative thinking is increasingly in demand across the economy.
“This research provides timely insights into how we can better prepare our future creative professionals to play a key role in 21st century workplaces.”
Mr Collette said the Report underscored the value of creative professionals to industry, particularly as businesses worked to adapt and respond to disruption.
The Chief Executive Officer said the Report found the pilot developed meaningful partnerships between university and industry; interdisciplinary work integrated learning provided benefits for both students and industry partners; students developed networking and collaboration skills; and students and staff with recent experience in the creative sector were more likely to advocate for the program.
He said the Report also showed that there was a need to better communicate the value of interdisciplinary learning for students of creative industries, both to staff and students.
The Australia Council’s 39-page Report can be downloaded at this PS News link.
