Skillset Doubles Remit with Addition of Publishing Sector
Skillset, the Sector Skills Council for Creative Media, announced today that its remit has expanded to include the publishing sector doubling the size of the Sector Skills Council (SSC). Skillset's current remit comprises tv, film, radio, interactive media, animation, computer games, facilities and photo imaging and the addition of publishing will make it the UK's largest SSC with 209,000 employed in the industry. Industry specialist Suzanne Kavanagh joins Skillset from her sales and marketing consultancy Publishing Results to run this sector.
The UK publishing industry is made up of over 7,000 companies with an estimated turnover of £22 billion and has not been represented by a SSC before. The new remit for Skillset will include the following categories book publishing, journal publishing (including electronic journals), newspapers, magazines, directories and databases and newsletters and reports.
Clive Jones, Chairman of Skillset adds; "As the media industry is in a period of enormous change with the lines blurring between the way we view, buy and sell content Skillset took the opportunity to include Publishing in its remit and provide this industry with its extensive knowledge and experience of development, funding, training and skills."
"This announcement comes at a crucial time for the Publishing industry as it currently has a number of issues to face," comments John Whitley of Book House Training Centre. "Firstly it increasingly requires a workforce with a broader skill range to include more technical proficiency and business acumen. Skills need to be developed that will enable the industry to take advantage of the opportunities that digitisation and multi-platform publishing present. To be successful publishers they will have to adapt to an environment that demands constant evolution of products, enabling technologies, skills and business models. Secondly, stronger market-facing and financial business skills will be required to better understand customer requirements and to drive advertising revenues."
Heading up the Publishing Sector is Suzanne Kavanagh, a sales and marketing professional with 15 years senior management and strategic experience in publishing. Before setting up Publishing Results in 2006 Suzanne was UK Sales and Marketing Director at the Continuum International Publishing Company. She comments on her appointment;
"The technology that has enabled access to digital content, and the rise of social media has created a range of opportunities - and threats - for the publishing industry. It is also an industry that is ready and willing for action to develop the right skills for new and existing employees so that is can compete effectively in the UK and internationally. With the Publishing Sector now in the Skillset footprint, we can really start to make a difference."
April 2008
Notes to Editors
The publishing industry has a well qualified workforce where 45 per cent have a degree or above - 15 per cent higher than the UK population. Many of these qualifications are not directly related to the industry's needs as it generally seeks graduate-calibre recruits with the subjects being studied less important than the quality of the person.
Publishing's workforce is younger than that of all UK industry with 52 per cent aged 20-39 compared to 44 per cent across all sectors, and 44 per cent is aged 40 and over compared to 51 per cent of all UK industry.
The proportion of women working in the Publishing industry compared to men is almost the same as that across all of the UK, with 53 per cent male and 47 per cent female. Higher proportions of men tend to be employed in ‘higher' occupational areas and women are in the majority in the lower level occupations.
The Publishing Industry is made up of over 7,000 companies, 85 per cent of them having less than 24 employees. The 3 per cent with 200 or more employees collectively employ some 52 per cent of all employees in the sector.
The self-employment rate is 17 per cent - higher than the national average for the UK. However, it varies widely across the sector with higher levels in news agencies and book publishing.
Estimated turnover for the industry is £18.5 to £22 billion. The GVA for 2002 was £8,300 million or 1.2 per cent of the total for the UK.
The total workforce comprises about 209,000 people with the largest proportion - nearly one third - working in newspaper publishing. Just over one quarter of the total workforce are based in the South East or London. The next largest employment area is the North West including Merseyside, followed by Scotland, the South West and the West Midlands.
The majority of those working in the Publishing industry are from white ethnic groups, similar to the percentage across all of UK industry. However, the Publishing industry is disproportionately located in the South East and London and when considered in this context, non-white ethnic groups are under-represented in the industry. A similar proportion to the rest of the UK considers themselves to have some form of long term illness or disability.
About Skillset
Skillset is the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for Creative Media which comprises tv, film, radio, interactive media, animation, computer games, facilities, photo imaging and publishing. Our aim is to improve the productivity of our industry to ensure that it remains globally competitive. We do this by influencing and leading; developing skills, training and education policy; and through opening up the industries to the UK's pool of diverse talent.