TRAINING IN THE ARTS

The 2007 survey of Work in Selected Culture and Leisure Activities collected information about whether the people involved in selected arts or cultural activities had qualifications relevant to those selected activities. Some 912,300 people aged 15 years and over in Australia had completed a course or qualification at some time in their lives related to one of the selected arts or culture activities in which they were involved. Of the selected activities, visual arts (336,000 people) and crafts (185,500 people) were the most common relevant qualifications obtained.

18.1 Persons involved in selected activities with a relevant qualification(a), By sex - April 2007
		Males	Females	Persons
		'000	'000	'000
Visual art activities
	Drawing	62.6	78.4	141.0
	Painting	21.6	65.1	86.7
	Sculpture	*8.5	*14.4	23.0
	Photography	55.1	61.2	116.3
	Print making	*4.1	17.3	21.4
	Creating artwork with a computer	47.4	66.4	113.8
	Other visual art activities	**2.4	*2.5	*4.9
	Total visual art activities	138.7	197.3	336.0
Craft activities
	Pottery or ceramics	*3.6	16.6	20.2
	Textiles	**1.6	52.3	53.8
	Jewellery making	*5.5	23.7	29.2
	Furniture making or wood crafts	56.6	*4.1	60.7
	Glass crafts	**0.6	*8.2	*8.8
	Other craft activities	*8.0	25.0	33.0
	Total craft activities	72.4	113.1	185.5
Writing		69.5	80.7	150.2
Publishing		17.8	19.8	37.6
Designing websites		36.5	19.9	56.4
Design		91.3	94.5	185.8
Designing computer games, or other interactive software		24.3	*6.0	30.3
Music
	Live performer	43.5	54.8	98.3
	No involvement as a live performer	*7.2	*12.2	*19.3
	Total music	50.6	66.9	117.6
Performing arts
	Performer	25.1	52.2	77.3
	No involvement as a performer	11.9	25.0	36.9
	Total performing arts	37.0	77.2	114.2
Total(b)		405.6	506.6	912.3
* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution
** estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use
(a) It was the respondents decision whether their course or qualification was related to a particular activity.
(b) Components may not add up to total as some persons may have been involved in more than one activity.
Source: ABS data available on request, Survey of Work in Selected Culture and Leisure Activities, April 2007.

Tertiary arts education data are available from the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). According to DEEWR, there were 71,875 students undertaking a course in the field of creative arts at higher educational institutions (excluding TAFE) in Australia in 2008. The data shows a 5.4% increase in creative arts tertiary students between 2007 and 2008, compared with a 3.5% increase in the number of all higher education students during the same period.

18.2 Number of students undertaking higher education (a), In the field of creative arts(b) - 2008
			Creative arts students	All students
2008
	New South Wales	'000	23.1	332.5
	Victoria	'000	17.9	278.8
	Queensland	'000	14.2	193.3
	South Australia	'000	4.8	76.0
	Western Australia	'000	8.3	111.8
	Tasmania	'000	1.4	20.2
	Northern Territory	'000	0.2	7.0
	Australian Capital Territory	'000	1.8	27.8
	Multi-State	'000	0.3	18.8
	Total	'000	71.9	1 066.1
2007
	Total	'000	68.2	1 029.8
Change between 2007 and 2008		%	5.4	3.5
(a) Students enrolled in higher education courses in each Australian Higher Education Provider.
(b) Creative arts comprises of the following educational fields: Performing arts, Visual arts and crafts, Graphic and design studies, Communication and media studies and Other performing arts.
Source: Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Students 2008 (full year): Selected Higher Education Statistics.

Data on vocational education can be obtained from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). According to NCVER data, vocational training organisations, such as TAFE institutes, reported 49,400 students enrolled in courses in the field of creative arts in 2009, up from 43,600 students in 2008.

18.3 Students in Vocational Education and Training courses(a), In the field of creative arts(b)(c) - 2009
	Students	Percentage of all creative arts students
	'000	%
New South Wales	17.5	35.4
Victoria	13.2	26.7
Queensland	6.8	13.8
South Australia	2.2	4.5
Western Australia	6.8	13.8
Tasmania	0.7	1.4
Northern Territory	1.2	2.4
Australian Capital Territory	1.0	2.0
Australia	49.4	100.0
(a) Excludes VET delivered in schools, where the delivery has been undertaken by schools.
(b) Whose major field of education was the creative arts.
(c) Creative arts comprises the following fields of education: performing arts; visual arts and crafts; graphic and design studies; communication and media studies; and other creative arts.
Source: National Centre for Vocational Education Research, Students and Courses 2009.

According to the 2009 survey of Education and Work, the most common qualification in cultural industries was graphic arts and design studies with 69,600 people holding qualifications. Other common qualifications within cultural industries were architecture with 38,200 people and music with 37,100 people holding qualifications. Graphic arts and design studies was the most common qualification for both males and females.

18.4 Persons with a non-school qualification(a), Main field of study for highest non-school qualification - By sex - 2009
		Males	Females	Persons
		'000	'000	'000
Architecture and urban design
	Architecture	26.7	11.6	38.2
	Urban design and regional planning	11.0	*5.6	16.6
	Landscape architecture/interior and environmental design	*4.5	18.8	23.3
	Total(b)	42.1	36.1	78.2
Studies in human society
	Sociology	*3.4	10.2	13.6
	Anthropology	**1.1	*2.8	*3.9
	History	10.0	19.3	29.3
	Other studies in human society	10.2	15.6	25.8
	Total(c)	24.7	47.9	72.6
Librarianship and information management and curatorial studies
	Librarianship and information management	*5.1	21.0	26.1
	Total(d)	*5.1	21.0	26.1
Performing arts
	Music	20.3	16.8	37.1
	Drama and theatre studies/dance	*4.5	12.0	16.5
	Total(e)	28.2	34.8	62.9
Visual arts and crafts
	Fine arts	*4.2	23.8	28.0
	Photography	8.3	*7.8	16.1
	Crafts/jewellery making/floristry	*6.4	9.3	15.7
	Visual arts and crafts n.f.d./n.e.c.	*4.3	12.7	17.1
	Total	23.3	53.7	76.9
Graphic and design studies
	Graphic arts and design studies	30.6	38.9	69.6
	Fashion design/textile design	*2.5	23.4	25.9
	Graphic and design studies n.f.d./n.e.c.	**0.2	-	**0.2
	Total	33.4	62.3	95.6
Journalism		*7.7	11.5	19.2
Religious studies		16.9	*7.1	24.1
* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution
** estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
(a) Non-school qualification refers to educational attainments other than those of pre-primary, primary or secondary education.
(b) Includes architecture and urban environment n.f.d./n.e.c.
(c) Includes studies in human society n.f.d./n.e.c., archaeology, human geography, Indigenous studies and gender specific studies.
(d) Includes librarianship and information management and curatorial studies n.f.d.
(e) Includes performing arts n.f.d./n.e.c.
Source: ABS data available on request, Survey of Education and Work, 2009.

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