SRC ProjectDigital Creative Strand

• Nicola Critchlow

• November 2009

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Digital Creative Strand

• My background and previous research

• Methodology for SRC - digital creative industries

• Initial findings

• Next steps

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HECSU Research – Bridging the Gap

• Views of academics and employers

• Employers from IT, films and TV, games, web development and design, digital marketing, multimedia and education

• Academics from creative, technical and business related courses

Digital industries, Bridging the Gap. How to align employers needs with graduate skills and higher education courses.

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Summary from HECSU research

• Value of communication skills– 92% of Academics and 83% of Employers thought

communication skills are very important

How well do you feel University courses prepare graduates in regards to communication skills?

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Summary from HECSU research

• Understanding of the latest technologies– All Academics and Employers view this as important,

although more Employers rate it as very important.

How well do you feel University courses prepare graduates in understanding the latest technologies?

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Summary from HECSU research

• Need for work experience– 91% of Academic and 83% of Employers viewed exposure

to work experience as important or very important.

How well do you feel University courses prepare graduates to exposure to work experience?

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What are digital industries?

• Growth sector but what is it?

• Skillset subdivides it into 10 areas

• Digital is now the dominant form of media creation

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Quotes

Finding creative solutions to a clients needs by pushing technology as far as we can - Employer

Anything that uses technology to move the business forward. Anything that uses new technology to find new audiences’. - Trade Organisation

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Methodology

• Find out the competencies required for different job roles

• Competency model incorporates:Cognitive competence – intellectual ability

Behavioural competency – manual dexterity

Affective competency – people’s attitudes and values

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Initial findings

• Employers are looking for competencies from all areas

Social Media Executive

Cognitive

Behavioural

Affective Competency

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Initial findings

• Employers are looking for competencies from all areas

• Emphasis on enthusiasm and passion for the industry

• Responsibility on the student as well as employers and academics

• Rapidly changing industry

• Need for range of skills which might traditionally be taught in different faculties

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Next steps• Initiatives such as the ProDev Day

• Develop set of core competencies for distinctive job roles within the `digital agency’

• Mapping the competencies onto current provision within MMU

• Current courses adapted and/or new courses introduced

• Graduates be able to inform employers about what they can do and have the potential to do

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Thank you

Any Questions?