Locally, this sector thrives, supporting over 6,200 jobs with significant hubs in Southampton, Portsmouth, Eastleigh, and the New Forest. Beyond the DCMS metrics, Creative Network South (CNS) estimates the sector contributes £2 billion annually. This reflects its broader impact across nearly 3,600 enterprises and highlights its crucial role in regional economic dynamics. CNS acts as an advocate for the crucial creative economy and has established a Skill Steering Group that draws on LSIP research to tackle entrenched challenges and provide sector-wide solutions for businesses. Solent LSIP has unified stakeholders and fostered collaboration to tackle these challenges. To build on this momentum, the Steering Group has made LSIP delivery an item on the agenda of all future quarterly meetings. Acting as a catalyst for broader action, the Solent LSIP is driving meaningful progress to address local skills gaps and grow the creative sector across the region.In 2001, the UK Government defined the Creative Sector as ‘those industries which have their origin in individual creativity, skills, and talent, and which have a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property.’
The Department for Digital Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) refined this into a statistical definition in 2015, encompassing diverse fields from advertising and architecture to software development and the arts.
In the Solent Region
HCOC CEO Ross McNally fully supports CNS in their aims to boost the creative economy in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight by attracting and retaining talent.
To find out more about how we work with the creative sector, download the deep dive report.
Download the report
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