Further and higher education

Working closely with our education partners and networks, we advocate the benefits of a creative education for post-16 and adult learners. Whether that’s developing the next generation of craft professionals, those embarking on a second career in the creative sectors, or more widely, anyone looking to learn a new skill for their own personal development and well-being.

A creative career should be an accessible option to everyone – ensuring our creative workforce represents all communities is fundamental. Our craft skills sector alone contributes £3.4 billion to the UK economy, and industry leaders from all sectors recognise the importance of creative skills in their workforce.

Further Education is becoming an important focus for the UK’s recovery and plays a key role in the Government’s ‘Levelling Up’ strategy.

Sector support

We've published our latest findings and recommendations as a series of downloads on this page. The following reports are now available:

Craft in FE

• Current challenges and sector recommendations
• Rochester Campus closure at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) response
• Removal of funding for Applied General Qualifications (AGQ's) response

Craft in FE and HE

• The social justice case for diverse routes into craft

Craft FE and HE Partnerships

• This report shares the impact of a successful pilot project, demonstrating strategic approaches to creating progression routes for students into creative careers, with particular focus on supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds.  The project was about developing sustainable local networks to support craft education, and bringing together further and higher education providers, industry and cultural partners to create meaningful progression routes for students.  The report outlines what was learnt and offers recommendations for ongoing work.

We will continue to update this page with our latest guidance. In the meantime, if you would like to speak to someone in the Crafts Council Learning team, please email learning@craftscouncil.org.uk