ARTS EDUCATION
Arts education covers the teaching of skills specific to the fields of literature, television, radio, film, visual arts and crafts, design, music, performing arts and other arts. Skills taught include creative writing, acting, dancing, singing, music composition, music playing, visual design, radio, television and film production, post-production and direction, photography, and sound engineering and recording.
TRAINING IN THE ARTS
Run for the first time in 2010-11, the Survey of Participation in Selected Cultural Activities collected data about participants in selected cultural activities including performing arts, singing or playing a musical instrument, dancing, writing, visual art activities and craft activities. Those who had participated in a cultural activity were asked if they had ever completed a qualification in, or related to, that cultural activity. The proportion of participants with qualifications varied across the selected activities.
Just over a quarter of all participants in fashion, interior or graphic design (26% or 85,000 people) reported a qualification relevant to this activity. A similar proportion (23%) of participants involved in designing websites, computer games or interactive software also held relevant qualifications. Conversely, the activities attracting the highest number of participants, namely textile crafts, jewellery making, paper crafts or wood crafts (1.6 million people) and sculpting, painting, drawing or cartooning (1.3 million people) had the lowest proportions of relevant qualifications held (6% and 12% respectively).
PARTICIPATION IN SELECTED CULTURAL ACTIVITIES(a), Qualification status by type of activity, 2010–11
| | Relevant qualification | No relevant qualification | Total participants |
| | ('000) | ('000) | ('000) |
|
Performing arts | | | |
| Performing in a drama, comedy, opera or musical including rehearsals | 42.1 | 185.7 | 227.8 |
| Performing inn a cabaret or variety act, including rehearsals | *7.1 | 50.2 | 57.3 |
Singing or playing a musical instrument | 176.1 | 730.0 | 906.1 |
Dancing | 50.9 | 544.2 | 595.1 |
Writing | | | |
| Writing song lyrics, or mixing or composing music, including digital composition | 37.7 | 387.1 | 424.9 |
| Writing any fiction, such as stories, poetry or scripts | 81.7 | 656.4 | 738.0 |
Visual art activities | | | |
| Sculpting, painting, drawing or cartooning, including digital pieces | 149.0 | 1132.5 | 1281.5 |
| Printmaking, screen printing or etching | 20.8 | 112.4 | 133.1 |
| Photography, film-making or editing, apart from recording personal events | 107.6 | 690.6 | 798.2 |
Craft activities | | | |
| Textile crafts, jewellery making, paper crafts or wood crafts | 96.0 | 1541.7 | 1637.7 |
| Glass crafts, pottery, ceramics or mosaics | 20.4 | 199.1 | 219.5 |
Designed websites, computer games or interactive software | 114.3 | 385.4 | 499.8 |
Fashion, interior or graphic designer | 85.0 | 237.3 | 322.3 |
Other digital art or craft not already reported | *14.7 | 85.7 | 100.5 |
|
* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution.
(a) Recorded for up to three activities per person in the 12 months prior to interview.
Source: Participation in Selected Cultural Activities, Australia, 2010-11 (cat. no. 4921.0)
Tertiary arts education data are available from the Australian Government Department of Industry. According to their publication, there were 86,547 students undertaking a course in the field of creative arts at higher educational institutions (excluding TAFE) in Australia in 2012. The data shows a 1.7% increase in the number of creative arts students between 2011 and 2012, compared with a 3.0% increase in the total number of students during the same period.
NUMBER OF STUDENTS UNDERTAKING HIGHER EDUCATION(a), In the field of Creative Arts(b), 2012
| | Creative Arts students | All students |
|
| | no. | no. |
2012 | | |
| New South Wales | 30 232 | 390 902 |
| Victoria | 20 831 | 326 594 |
| Queensland | 17 939 | 222 919 |
| South Australia | 5 019 | 84 290 |
| Western Australia | 7 177 | 134 327 |
| Tasmania | 2 428 | 25 480 |
| Northern Territory | 179 | 9 921 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 2 242 | 36 168 |
| Multi-state | 500 | 27 121 |
Total | 86 547 | 1 257 722 |
| | | |
2011 | 85 078 | 1 221 008 |
2010 | 83 167 | 1 192 657 |
Change between 2011 and 2012 (%) | 1.7 | 3.0 |
Change between 2010 and 2011 (%) | 2.3 | 2.4 |
|
(a) Students enrolled in higher education courses in each Australian Higher Education Provider.
(b) Creative arts comprises 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 Industry: Selected Higher Education Statistics - 2012 Student Full Year.
Information relating to vocational education can be obtained from the National Centre for Vocational and Education Research (NCVER). According to NCVER data, vocational training organisations, such as Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes, reported 51,958 students enrolled in courses in the field of Creative Arts in 2012.
STUDENTS IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING COURSES(a), In the field of Creative Arts(b)(c), 2012
| Students | Percentage of all Creative Arts students |
| no. | % |
|
New South Wales | 17 422 | 33.5 |
Victoria | 15 780 | 30.4 |
Queensland | 7 177 | 13.8 |
South Australia | 2 189 | 4.2 |
Western Australia | 6 837 | 13.2 |
Tasmania | 733 | 1.4 |
Northern Territory | 1 072 | 2.1 |
Australian Capital Territory | 784 | 1.5 |
Australia | 51 958 | 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 and Education Research, Students and Courses 2012 available on the NCVER website
Useful links
Department of Industry: Selected Higher Education Statistics - 2012 Student Full Year.
National Centre for Vocational and Education Research
(NCVER) website