This action plan outlines the key skills and company development issues facing the Interactive Media and Computer Games Industries. Importantly it also outlines the activity which Skillset, the industries, government, the public agencies and training or education providers throughout the UK will strive to deliver in order to address these issues.

Due to the fast moving nature of the sector it will be impossible for any work stemming from the solutions and recommendations to stand still. It is essential that all agreements and priorities remain responsive, through close collaboration between Skillset and the industry, to industry changes. This action plan originates from the Sector Skills Agreement for Interactive Media that Skillset is currently brokering with governments and funding agencies throughout the UK.

Skillset has built on the array of secondary research and information produced by others and carried out extensive primary research to identify the anticipated trends in the future use of skills. We then consulted widely on this with the sectors and with key agencies, in order to arrive at a consensus view on the way forward.

Skillset is also well placed to make links with other audio visual sector strategies, like film and television, to ensure synergies are capitalised on as sectors come closer together and as interactive media techniques become more pervasive.

In completing this action plan one of the most difficult challenges has been to define the Interactive Media sector. Many existing reports or classifications are too general to identify specific skill areas. Therefore for the purposes of this report our definition of the sector is one which is made up of four main constituents; Creators, Enablers, Clients and End-users.

Our focus here is on Creators, operating as companies, departments within larger organisations or individuals, and who produce interactive products for Web & Internet, Interactive Television, Computer Games or Offline Multimedia.


The main trends and assumptions we have identified, and which form the bedrock of this action plan, can be summarised as follows:

• The industry has a requirement for a broad range of specialist as well as general skills and functional flexibility;
  
  
• New entrants and many graduates are not fully equipped to meet the needs of the industry;
  
  
• Post-entry skills acquisition is primarily through self-directed learning, coaching and mentoring;
  
  
• Experience is often valued more than vocational qualifications, though most practitioners have degrees;
  
  
• There are shortages of experienced practitioners with the right combinations of skills, including management, business development, and leadership;
  
  
• Many individuals have gaps in their general life, work and business skills;
  
  
• Traditional 'training solutions' are unlikely to work - flexibility and modularity are key at all levels;
  
  
• At the company level there are gaps in business, project and production management skills, company development, client management, sales and marketing and commercial awareness within an international context;
  
  
• As well as generic skill gaps there are potential gaps in drawing, diagramming and creative art skills, as well as creative and specialised or technical writing skills.

To contextualise these critical issues for the industry we have sought to identify the future trends that will affect the market, the industry and the workforce. The key drivers of change that are impacting the industries are identified as:

• Demand;
  
  
• Technological change;
  
  
• International competition;
  
  
• Globalisation;
  
  
• Specialisation and sub-contracting.

In seeking to address the skills gaps and shortages identified in this action plan we recognise the wide number of stakeholders and influencers, including the industry, schools, further and higher education and training providers.

This plan sorts the priority actions in to following five key areas and offers solutions to the key issues. In some areas these solutions are just a starting point and the plan is intended to act as a catalyst for action and collaboration over the coming years:

1. At School;
   
   
2. Qualifications, Further and Higher Education;
   
   
3. In the Business
   
   
   • apprenticeships
     
   • company and workforce development;
   
   
4. Careers Information, Advice and Guidance for all;
   
   
5. Gathering Intelligence and Expertise.

Running through all of these areas it is also recognised that there needs to be a comprehensive approach to Communications and Public Affairs, and to recognising and measuring ability and expertise through a robust Infrastructure.


Finally there is a section on Implementation and Who Pays? It is essential that all industry partners work together collaboratively to deliver the actions in this plan as there are several sub-sectors within Interactive Media and Computer Games and no one trade body that represents these companies and individuals.

Interactive Media and Computer Games are growth industries with a number of significant clusters throughout the UK, with many of our regional or national agencies and associations looking to grow the sector via investment in skills. This action plan is an industry-designed blueprint for that activity, defining the sector and its skills needs.

The industry has established the Interactive Media Skills Forum and the Computer Games Skills Forum, both convened by Skillset, which will act as the channel for the development of all current and future skills development initiatives relevant to the sectors, working in partnership with key agencies and funders throughout the UK.

For a copy of this action plan download:

Creating the Future: The UK Skills Action Plan for the Interactive Media & Computer Games Industries

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