Knowledge + Creativity= Competitive Edge

April 28th, 2008 at 09:00am Tsion Lencho

Engaging the Arts for a Creative Workforce
Graduation season is now upon us and soon the job market will be replete with fresh eyed graduates, eager to apply the skills they learned in school to their first jobs.  After listening to speeches that troll the smorgasbord of opportunities available to them after they leave their alma mater, they will depart their schools convinced that they have been adequately prepared for success. 

But to what extent is this true?  Both the art and business communities have been buzzing with the claim that the workforce in the United States is far from where it needs to be creatively. 

The 2007 Americans for the Arts National Arts Policy Roundtable focused on this very issue.  National leaders from all industries gathered at the Sundance Preserve to address the question: What role can and will the arts play in building a 21st century workforce that is both knowledgeable and creative? 

The result of the Roundtable along with the publication of commissioned essays by three authors with policy expertise in creativity and innovation, education, and business is found here.  You’ll also find on the site the Key Findings report, Ready to Innovate: Are Educators and Executives Aligned on the Creative Readiness of the U.S. Workforce? which highlights the results of new research commissioned by Americans for the Arts in partnership with The Conference Board and the American Association of School Administrators to better understand the attitudes behind what is essential to building a creative workforce by surveying superintendents and employers.

All of the findings speak to the idea that:

Art (in) Education= Creativity (in) Business

We invite you to download the essays (free of charge) and share your thoughts.  Do you have an educational model for ensuring a creative workforce?  How does one continue to develop creativity once out of school?  If you are an employer, what do you look for in a candidate? 

As a recent graduate one question that I have is: whose job is it to ensure that graduates are adequately prepared?  While many feel that the job rests on educators, should the burden also be on the career centers at universities?  Perhaps a more holistic approach to education needs to be used.  Career centers and department heads should join forces to ensure that they aren’t producing cookie cutter coeds but individuals ready to excel at innovation.

To purchase copies of the essay publication visit the Bookstore.  The report from the Roundtable along with the publication of commissioned essays is found here.

 Coming soon: video of the Roundtable; Ready to Innovate Full Report

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