Soaking up the sun on the Lords'
terrace with Jessica from CCSkills I have been schmoozing with ‘Britain’s Craft Elite’, at the official launch of The Craft Blueprint. But what do these ‘development plans for craft in the UK’ mean and will we as the crafting community see our lives change now that crafts are officially recognised by the government? Here’s the low down on what they have in store for us.

So when I got into this blog writing malarkey, I never thought it would give me entry to receptions at The House of Lords, but there I was kitted out in my crafty couture drinking with CEOs, Lords and Ladies, discussing the intricacies of making. Baroness Sharp of Guildford opened the proceedings and closed with a short speech announcing that “Making is important.” Spot on. The industry cannot exist without the talented and passionate craft makers who are doing all the hard work. Obviously I’m biased, but a life without making would be so miserable. Making is part of human creative culture all over the world and in Britain it’s a source of skills, work and enterprise. 

Craft Blueprint, eh?

Baroness Sharp opened
the proceedings Essentially this is the first time there has ever been a national audit of the UK crafts industry, focusing especially on skills – with the intention of addressing the ‘skills shortages’ facing the industry. It’s taken three years of research with Creative and Cultural Skills and the Crafts Council, working together to deliver the findings; a plan of action for developing the craft workforce across the UK.

But they haven’t just plucked suggestions out of thin air. Hundreds of makers and designers from all over the UK took part in consultations, making sure the voices on the ground were heard.

Despite the geographical spread of craft makers, Jenna-Lea Philpott (CCSkills) said that most makers raised similar issues and recommendations, such as a desire for older makers to be better supported to pass on their skills to a younger generation.

Some of these organisations present at the event were from far flung places such as The Shetland Isles, as well as representatives from Craft Scotland and Craft Northern Ireland and even a craft town called West Kilbride.

Impressive stats

The report which you can download contains some fascinating findings, I’ve picked out a few that interest me:

* 82% of the crafts sector comprises small businesses employing 1-5 people
* 21% of those working in crafts do so in a part-time capacity
* 55% of craft makers earn less than £20,000pa

So far, all three stats ring true for me but one stat I’m proud to break free of is:

* 94% of the workforce is predominantly white

Crafty types networking, like
Craft NI's Joe Kelly and
CCSkills' Jenna-Lea Philpott I was really surprised by this figure, I never think about ‘workforce diversity’ when I think of crafts. I think about it in terms of every other industry – public sector, media, business etc. I was fascinated by this statistic. It’s really got me thinking, but at the same time, it kind of makes sense. By doing an audit of this kind, these sorts of fascinating facts get picked up and can be addressed. With the crafts industry contributing nearly £3 billion in GVA to the UK economy each year (greater than the visual arts, cultural heritage and literature sectors), it’s really important that such issues are not forgotten about.

Recommendations

Don’t forget to check out
The Craft Blueprint The Craft Blueprint suggests a number of ways to move forward. These include diversifying the workforce and expanding entry routes, reviewing crafts qualifications and reinvigorating crafts education in schools. Obviously the government gets bombarded with reports and recommendations about all matter of things under the sun on a daily basis.  Maybe The Craft Blueprint will sit on a shelf, or maybe if craft makers and organisations get involved, we can start to make things happen to improve skills. Let’s make sure we all get involved so things go how we want them to – register your interest at craft@ccskills.org.uk. Please try and see the report to inform your own opinions – it’s in no way scary, quite short, and has some great pictures in it too!

In other news, I apologise that I’ve left it a little late to remind you about graduate shows but they’re happening now all over the UK. They are normally free to go to and are extremely inspiring. Find out what your local university or art school is doing by checking out their website. There’s also a lot of craft showcases going on in the capital this weekend. If there’s one that should be ticked off the list, it’s Coutts London Jewellery Week. Be dazzled by diamonds and do more than just dream about owning the jewels – there are open studios, sales, parties and shopping opportunities; it’s a whole celebration of the Hatton Garden jewellery making quarter. In fact it’s got me thinking, it’s about time I sorted out my own jewellery collection (i.e bought more), so you may see me down there scouring for bargains!