Journal Article

Skills for creative industries graduate success

Bridgstock, Ruth

2011

Overview

Purpose - Although there is increasing evidence that the creative industries are essential to national economic growth as well as social and cultural well-being, creative graduates often find it difficult to become established professionally. This study aims to investigate the value of career management competence and intrinsic career motivations (as elements of \"protean career orientation\") in predicting positive graduate outcomes.Design methodology approach - Self-report surveys were administered to 208 creative industries graduates from two Australian universities at two points in time: at course completion, and one year later.Findings - The paper finds that individual career management competence and intrinsic work motivations, measured at course completion, were significant predictors of early career success, using both subjective and objective measures, measured one year later.Practical implications - This study suggests that an emphasis on student development beyond the traditional \"key\" employability skills may well be worthwhile. The paper also suggests a broad learning and teaching approach by which universities can encourage the development of student career identity, and thus engender student intrinsic career motivations and career self management skills and behaviours.Originality value - This is one of the first studies to demonstrate empirically a link between a particular set of skills and graduate outcomes. In addition, it provides insights into the role of student career motivations in positive transitions to the world of work in the creative industries.

• Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited,Emerald
• Subject: Art education / Art students / Australia / Career Development / Career development planning / Career path followup / Career paths / Career Planning / Careers / College graduates / Colleges & universities / Core curriculum / Correlation / Councils / Creative arts / Creative industries / Creativity / Departments / Economic growth / Economic Progress / Education Work Relationship / Educational Quality / Educational Technology / Employment / Employment Potential / Foreign Countries / Funding / GDP / Graduate attributes / Graduate students / Graduate surveys / Graduates / Gross Domestic Product / Higher Education / Innovation / Internship Programs / Interpersonal Competence / Job Skills / Labor force / Labor Market / Likert Scales / Managerial skills / Motivation / Occupations / Outcomes of Education / Politics of Education / Postsecondary education / Predictor Variables / Problem solving / Regression (Statistics) / School to work transition / Self Management / Skills / Statistical analysis / Student motivation / Success / Surveys / Teacher Effectiveness / Teaching Methods / United Kingdom