3.2.16
Original Document
The creative sector covers a wide range of activities, from jewellery manufacture and the creation of decorative artefacts, through creative professional services such as architecture, to media-related activities. The Jewellery Quarter already has a concentration of such activities and Digbeth (with the Custard Factory particularly notable) and Eastside are emerging as creative areas (see Baseline Report for more detail). A further potential area for growth is spin-off from university-related research and development. At present these links are poorly developed and there is scope to improve on this for the future. Eastside is in a good position to capture growth in this area notably with proposals for creation of the digital and arts academy for 14-19 year olds.
Plain English Translation
The ‘creative sector’ means things like jewellery making, architecture and the media amongst others. The Jewellery Quarter has a lot of these and Digbeth (around the Custard Factory) and Eastside are also starting to get more.
University-related research and development is another area that could be improved, at the moment there isn’t much of this. Eastside is in a good position to do this, as there is a plan to open a digital and arts academy (school) for 14-19 year olds.
I think the academy is a great idea but I think it would need to go hand in hand with subsidised studio and gallery space for the creative arts graduates and office space for digital graduates otherwise there will be little incentive for them to remain in the city once qualified (certainly after university level).
Could the academy idea work for other sectors too? Science? Tourism? Catering (to tie in with the new food quarter)?