@ADOBEUK

The arts are key to creativity in learning, so plans for an English baccalaureate system for UK schools that omit arts subjects is worrying, particularly in light of our own research which shows that 77%* of UK employers and University lecturers place high value on creativity in school leavers.

78%** of people in the UK agree that creativity is key to driving economic growth. And although 61%** feel that creativity is ‘stifled’ by the current education system, they do agree that more needs to be done to foster it. My fear for an education system devoid of any arts tuition, is that creativity will be stifled even further.

The key will be technology, which when used effectively, will need to play an increasingly central role in helping schools to drive creativity and support arts subjects. We work with schools, such as Chalfonts Community College, who have created Digital Art courses that blend virtual and reusable learning resources. This involved rewriting the traditional art specification to include digital media – from digital imaging, film, animation, graphics and game making – to help students learn creative skills which influence their approach across the curriculum.
The UK is renowned for its creativity thanks to its successes in fashion, art, design, film, food and music, so creative schooling is incredibly important. We have the best creative higher education system of any country in the world, but cutting arts from secondary education I fear will create a skills gap between school and higher education or the workplace in years to come.”

Liz Wilkins, Senior Leader, Adobe Education UK 

*Taken from Adobe’s ‘Creativity in the Classroom’ report, 2010
**Taken from Adobe’s ‘State of Create’ report, 2012

We’re almost half way through our Adobe Generation courses, and I have to say the student work has been fabulous so far. We’ll be adding a selection to the Adobe Students UK Facebook page over the next few weeks, but in the meantime I wanted to tell you about an inspiring young lady who won the pilot Games Design course this summer.

Lydia Odai (18) signed up to expand her digital skills before she started her University degree in September. She had no previous games design experience, yet produced a stunning game called ‘Falling from the Sky’ after just nine hours of teaching time – it just goes to show what can be achieved even in a short amount of time. Over 1,000 students took part in the pilot, but Lydia’s game outshone them all.

Here’s what Lydia had to say about Adobe Generation…
“I’ve always been interested in gaming, so was excited to sign up to the Adobe Generation Games Design course and learn more about the creative skills I’d need to succeed in the industry. I didn’t have any games design experience when I signed up, but the courses were easy to follow so before I knew it, I was learning complex skills such as coding. Being taught by people from industry really helped, as they gave us a firsthand perspective on what it’s like to work in gaming. I’ve just started a BA in Computer Visualisation & Animation at Bournemouth University so hope to build on the skills I acquired through Adobe Generation. Plus the course convinced me that my decision to go in the creative industries was the right one. I’d recommend that anyone interested in learning new digital skills, signs up.”
You can play Lydia’s game for yourselves by clicking here. Plus there’s still time for you and your students to sign up to the current Adobe Generation courses we’re running in Games Design, Photo Imaging and Animation – visit www.adobegeneration.com for more info!