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vocational area requiring innovation or new development will embed creativity within its
developmental methodology. Sir James Dyson famously developed 5,126 failed prototypes
on his way to designing the technology that transformed household cleaning forever.
"People think of creativity as a mystical process. This model conceives of innovation as
something that happens to geniuses. But this could not be more wrong. Creativity is
something we can all improve at, by realising that it has specific characteristics. Above all, it
is about daring to learn from our mistakes". - Sir James Dyson
Just as creative thinking can positively impact business strategy on a long-term basis, it may
also be a highly effective way to tackle global challenges such as the escalating climate crisis.
Momentary flashes of inspiration and activity can ignite awareness and interest in
environmental and conservation issues, but it will be the resilient and consistent application
of a creative approach to problem solving that will bring about the changes needed to
sustain life on this planet.

Arts & Education

Our qualifications promote an iterative developmental process through their design and
delivery, requiring students to experience the stages of a creative process through the
practical application of concepts, knowledge, and skills. The formative stages of a UAL
qualification break this process down into chunks, asking students to unpack each stage and
apply their individualised understanding to a burgeoning independent creative practice.
Students are challenged to understand the parameters of a thematic enquiry or brief,
propose a solution, document a plan, and explore versions of their solution through
developmental experimentation. They are encouraged to underpin each of these activities
with continuous research and ongoing reflective practice. Learners conclude their journey
by selecting a successful outcome, presenting, and justifying this in a manner that
appreciates, mirrors and in some cases disrupts industry convention. By developing a
working understanding of each of these stages, students are creating markers or creative
gateposts that allow them to manage their time and measure progress against
expectations. These creative skills and attributes enable students to develop versatility and
resilience that makes them immensely employable across a huge spectrum of career
choices.

Education, like all industries, has had to respond to the disruption and distance produced by
the pandemic. Learning spaces have adapted from physical to digital classrooms and
workshops, with learners having access to a blended model of in-person and remote
teaching. Creative education learning programmes have carefully revised their offer to
ensure that students receive an equivalent level of development and progress from a digital
learning experience. Projects have been designed to be accessible from a home learning
environment, reducing the focus on specialist technical equipment, and expanding the
contextual and conceptual tasks set. Teachers have learned how to structure learning in the
digital space, developing new techniques and strategies to inspire and engage their
students. Have these strategies worked? The Open University has recently published a 15%
increase in applications in the last twelve months, indicating that students have become
confident and comfortable with learning at distance. FE and HE institutions nationally will
need to consider how they continue to capitalise and engage with this new culture of
learning going forward.