Executive Summary
Study background
1. DTZ Consulting & Research was commissioned by the Scottish Executive Tourism, Culture and Sport Information and Analytical Services on behalf of Cultural Policy to investigate the link between those who study arts subjects at school and later employability. Study objectives were addressed through a data matching exercise, using the Scottish School Leavers Survey ( SSLS) and Scottish Qualification Authority ( SQA) datasets. Our key findings across the study objectives are outlined below.
Socio-economic background
2. Students taking arts subjects are slightly less likely to have a father in work or working in more highly skilled occupations. Students studying graphic communication are more likely to come from higher socio-economic backgrounds and students of craft & design from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
Link between subjects studied at school and later employability
3. Amongst young people leaving school at the earliest opportunity, employability is generally higher for those that had studied arts subjects. Students leaving school at an early stage having taken arts subjects are less likely to find themselves in a negative labour market position 3 years later, compared to the average young person leaving school early.
4. Young people that had studied music or graphic communication are amongst the most employable of those that leave school at the earliest opportunity. Employability however amongst those that had studied design and drama is relatively poor.
Link between subjects studied at school and later type of employment
5. Students taking arts subjects and leaving school at the earliest opportunity are significantly more likely to work in craft-related occupations. As time passes young people tend to move from craft and related jobs into other occupations, although those studying arts subjects at school are more likely to remain within the vocation longer.
6. For those that studied arts subjects, the type of employment gained after leaving school is less likely to be highly-skilled or managerial in nature, compared to those that did not study arts subjects. When type of employment is controlled for the number of years spent in school 1, young people that studied arts subjects are no less likely to gain employment in highly skilled jobs in professional, managerial or technical areas.
Employability and type of employment of students taking and not taking arts subjects
7. When employability is controlled for the number of years spent in school, young people that studied arts subjects tend to have higher employability and are more likely to maintain employment than those that did not study arts subjects. In addition, young people who took 2 or more arts subjects at standard grade tend to have a higher rate of employment than those who took only 1 arts subject.
Students progressing to higher/further education and employment in creative industries
8. Young people, and in particular young men, taking arts subjects and leaving school at the earliest opportunity are among those least likely to progress to further or higher education after leaving school.
9. As young people take more arts subjects the likelihood of working in the creative and cultural sector increases. This varies however depending on the subject studied: young people who took craft and design at standard grade are more likely to work in the creative and cultural sector than those taking the other arts subjects, whereas students taking music at standard grade are least likely to work in the creative or cultural sector.
Levels of confidence of students taking and not taking arts subjects
10. Confidence is influenced by socio-economic background and gender with young people from higher socio-economic backgrounds and young females having higher levels of confidence. After confidence was controlled for socio-economic background and gender, young people who took arts subjects are slightly less confident than those who did not take any arts subjects.
11. Among students studying arts subjects, those studying drama or music appear to be most confident: confidence among those who studied drama was higher than for young people who did not study any arts subjects. Those studying craft and design appear to be least confident.
12. In addition to demonstrating higher levels of confidence, young people from higher socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to enter professional or managerial jobs and enjoy higher salaries after leaving school. Young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds however are more likely to enjoy higher salaries and enter professional or managerial jobs when gaining confidence at school, than those who didn't gain confidence.
Overall conclusions
13. Labour market outcomes and employability of young people who leave school at the earliest opportunity appear to be improved by studying arts subjects at school. Furthermore, young people who study arts are more likely to maintain employment, work in crafts and related jobs and are overall no less likely to work in highly skilled jobs compared to other young people who did not study arts and who left school in the same year. The apparent improvement in labour market outcomes and employability of young people that studied art subjects may contribute towards National Priorities issued by the Scottish Executive (2000b).
14. The clear link between drama and music and high levels of confidence is an important and positive finding. Arts students overall are expected to have lower levels of confidence as they are more likely to come from lower socio-economic backgrounds. However, young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds gaining confidence at school, as demonstrated by drama or music students, are more likely to enjoy higher salaries and enter professional or managerial jobs.