Advertising 

• Almost half of all employees undertaking advertising activity have a degree level qualification.
• Employees in the advertising industry are far more likely to have a first or postgraduate degree.
• 39% of the creative workforce hold a level five qualification, whereas at least 42% of the advertising workforce hold a level five qualification.

Craft

• The highest qualifications of people in the craft workforce are most likely to be GCSEs, O Levels or City and Guilds qualifications.
• 9% of people in craft have a degree level qualification.
• People in Craft are more likely to have a vocational or professional qualification as their highest qualification.
• Across the UK, 57% of makers had completed full-time art/design courses at a college, university, far in excess of the 9% of people with degree level qualifications.
• 39% of the creative workforce hold a level five qualification, whereas, only 13% of makers in jewellery have a level five qualification.

Cultural heritage

• Almost half the workforce in Museum Activities (this covers museums, built heritage and a large proportion of archaeological activities) has degree level qualifications.
• 83% of Archivists/Curators are graduates, compared with 49% of all staff undertaking Museum Activities.
• 39% of the creative workforce hold a level five qualification, whereas, 41% of practitioners in Museum Activities have level 5 qualifications.

Design

• 46% of design employees hold a degree as their highest qualification.
• Design employs the highest proportion of people (14%) that hold an HND or HNC as their highest qualification. 

Music

• Although there is considerable provision, people in music are less likely than other creative and cultural sub-sector to hold a degree level qualification.
• Most music graduates do not follow a career in music.
• Whilst 41% of musicians hold a degree level qualification, only 27% of musical instrument makers do.
• Instrument makers are more likely to hold only an O’ Level or equivalent qualification than to have a degree.

Visual, performing and literary arts (VPLA)

• 35.2% of VPLA  workers have degree level qualifications.
• Only around 10% of staff hold a GCSE (or vocational GCSE) as their highest level qualification.
• About 50% of staff working in ‘visual arts’ have a degree level qualification, supporting the view that the industry is highly qualified.
• In the ‘performing arts’, 38% hold a degree level qualification.
• 50% of practitioners in ‘sound recording publishing’ have level 5 qualifications.

Sources: Skills Needs Assessment 2007 and Understanding Supply 2007