Music industry wins Government backing for growth

Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has announced a £165 million co-investment in skills to grow and create life-changing opportunities for young people.

Among the first round of successful bidders shortlisted to take part in the Employer Ownership of Skills Pilot (EOSP) is National Skills Academy industry member, Academy of Music & Sound who as part of the co-investment will design bespoke vocational programmes (including apprenticeships and CPD) needed to make sure that the UK workforce has the skills needed to increase growth and productivity. 

Creative & Cultural Skills supported the Academy of Music & Sound in preparing the bid, which aims to address the skills shortages affecting recruitment and sustainable employment for music instrument retail workers. With the funding, the Academy of Music & Sound will implement recruitment and training programmes which will benefit many music industry retailers and manufacturers/distributors, and aims to deliver 80 apprentices nationally per year.

As part of their 2012 development plans, The Academy of Music & Sound has recently relocated to a new centre of excellence in Birmingham City Centre (Music Innovation Centre) which includes a music instrument training store (Academy Music Store).

The Academy of Music & Sound is one of the first businesses from the creative and cultural sector to be named in the first round of winning bids from the 269 applications received. Further successful applicants will be announced in October.

Catherine Large, Joint CEO, Creative & Cultural Skills said: “We are delighted to see Academy of Music & Sound named as a successful bidder.  Not only does it demonstrate support for the Academy’s achievement in creating and growing jobs in the music industry, it also reflects Government confidence in the creative industry’s contribution to the economy as a whole.”

The Academy of Music & Sound was founded in 1994 offering private musical instrument lessons and music technology courses above its music shop & recording studio (MUSE first recorded there) in Torquay, Devon. The Academy of Music & Sound has grown to become the largest national network of music centers providing specialist, instrument specific courses. Further information is available at: www.academyofmusic.ac.uk

The Academy of Music & Sound will be also be delivering their music instrument, technology & production training programmes at Creative & Cultural Skills’ new Backstage Centre in Purfleet.

Kevin Harding, Board & Training Partner Academy of Music & Sound said: “We are extremely proud to have been shortlisted for the Employer Ownership of Skills Pilot and will be working closely with Creative & Cultural Skills in its development and delivery. The music instrument retail sector is close to my heart having worked in a few music shops since a young age. Indeed this type of work typically supports aspiring young musicians in providing an industry income whilst building a performance career. It is a wonderful opportunity to develop and pilot bespoke training for music retailers and apprentices.”

Notes to editors

The Employer Ownership Pilot, launched on 7 February 2012 is jointly funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Education and routes public investment directly to employers so they can design and deliver more flexible training packages.  Employers are expected to provide co-funding. For further information, see: http://www.bis.gov.uk. The prospectus www.ukces.org.uk/ourwork/employer-ownership/eo-round-one/round-1-prospectus sets out the rationale for the scheme in more detail.

The vision of greater employer ownership has been championed by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills – a non-departmental public body that provides strategic leadership on skills and employment issues.

Creative & Cultural Skills supports the skills and training needs of the UK’s creative and cultural industries. We deliver through our Skills Academy, a growing network of employers and training providers who are committed to the provision of high quality, industry-relevant creative education and training, apprenticeships and careers advice.

We are licenced as a Sector Skills Council by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. 

For further information, please visit www.ccskills.org.uk 

For more information on this press release please contact our press office on: 020 7015 1800 emma.diggory@ccskills.org.uk  catherine.large@ccskills.org.uk