8.4 Company and Workforce Development
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Company and Workforce Development
For the Photo imaging sector to remain competitive, adapt to the changes brought about by digital technology, and be better able to meet future skills needs, greater collaboration and engagement is needed between industry, education, government and other relevant bodies, such as Skillset, at both national and regional levels, to ensure its voice is heard and its needs are understood.
Company and Workforce Development
For the Photo imaging sector to remain competitive, adapt to the changes brought about by digital technology, and be better able to meet future skills needs, greater collaboration and engagement is needed between industry, education, government and other relevant bodies, such as Skillset, at both national and regional levels, to ensure its voice is heard and its needs are understood.
- Financial incentives to encourage training, such as tax credits for employers and employees, should be investigated.
- With financial and logistical support from government and relevant bodies, industry should provide more opportunities for work placements and apprenticeships. It has been suggested that a central database could usefully be established to match those looking for work experience with those willing to offer a placement. An official work experience system should be considered.
- Funding should be more readily available to support individuals, and freelancers in particular, in maintaining their on-going professional development. Regional Development Agencies should map existing funding at regional level and ensure this is communicated to both companies and individuals via employers, trade associations, HE/FE institutions, Skillset, and other relevant bodies. Regional and National funders should look to set up mechanisms that match employers' collaborative investment in skills development and to provide workforce development funding for freelances to support training achievement and/or professional qualifications.
- Opportunities to learn mentoring and coaching skills should be promoted to companies and individuals.
- Policy makers, funders, other relevant bodies and industry should work together to provide real business support for companies. They should also support, nurture and promote virtual and real-world networks, clusters, communities and buddy networks that facilitate peer-to-peer knowledge transfer and can provide opportunities for growth, collaboration and learning from experience. They may also want to assess the value of providing a greater availability of bursary type support that might help encourage small companies or freelancers to engage with formal skills development.
- An industry-recognised scheme for approving or accrediting short courses may be valuable and should be investigated by Skillset in collaboration with industry trade bodies and associations.
- The Picture Libraries sub-sector in particular has identified a need for short courses, delivered by industry experts rather than educationalists, focussing specifically on those parts of Adobe Photoshop, colour management and colour photography that are relevant to them.
- The Prolabs sub-sector has identified a need for better knowledge-sharing amongst the industry's professional bodies, especially with respect to marketing, pricing and business development, in order to help the sector stay 'ahead of the game' and recognise opportunities in the market, as well as threats. Knowledge-sharing needs to be aimed at the workforce in general and not just at management levels.
- The various trade bodies and associations should work together and with Skillset to tackle the issue of 'dumbing down' in quality and standards that is felt to be at the heart of many of the sector's problems. In particular, there is a need to educate clients and end-users to help them appreciate the differing levels of quality achieved by high-end versus amateur equipment, and to understand that digital output is not necessarily cheaper. Allied to this is a need to promote Photography as a respected and valuable profession and to raise the profile of the sector in general. A clear and consistent message is required, particularly regarding the cost implications of producing high quality results.
- Skillset will investigate possible sources of funding for the sector's small and micro-businesses to help them develop and improve their digital skills and invest in the digital equipment.
- Skillset will continue its work to update the National Occupational Standards for Photo Imaging in consultation with industry, and ensure they are promoted and used in ways that benefit the sector. One example might be by encouraging employers to map their existing training against the National Occupational Standards.
- Skillset will develop a Foundation Degree framework in Photo Imaging, in consultation with industry, and encourage FE colleges to offer part time options to enable those already in work to take advantage of this provision whilst still remaining in employment.
- Skillset will investigate ways to make training more accessible, more attractive and more affordable for Photographers, especially those who feel that they don't need continuing professional development.
- Employers need to recognise the true value of training, end especially of industry support for educational institutions, and avoid treating purely it as a cost. In particular, companies need to make long term commitments to working with education and ensure that their support will not be affected by any subsequent cost-cutting - even if this means smaller, but guaranteed, amounts of support over a long period rather than bulk funding that may then be unexpectedly withdrawn. A more formal, strategic approach to working with education may be appropriate.
