It's good news for the creative industries in the UK, which currently represent the second largest sector of the economy. And when the creative industries need new talent, they increasingly go looking for it at University of the Arts London.
Organisations UAL has formed partnerships with include Microsoft, Sony, Pringle, WPP, Body Shop, Swarovski and LVMH.
"We help businesses by matching them with the imagination, flair and talents of our students," says Dani Salvadori, head of university enterprise development. "We then use the financial surplus from this to support the courses at our colleges."
The Design Laboratory, based at Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, but drawing on talent across all of UAL's six colleges, is just one of the ways this is achieved. Five teams of staff work alongside paid graduate interns and freelancers, to provide media, graphics, fashion and product consultancy for a wide range of international companies.
Lauren Barrett graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2009 with an MA Communication Design. She won the D&AD Yellow Pencil and Best New Blood Awards while still a student, and after graduating worked as a paid intern in the Design Laboratory. She was involved in designing packaging for the champagne label Dom Pérignon, inspired by the work of artist Andy Warhol. Since then she has established a career specialising in branding and art direction for luxury fashion clients.
"The Design Lab was a great initial experience of working on a live brief," she says. "Studying is a very personal experience, but the project gave me an insight into the mechanics of the business, and working in a client-led environment. It was exciting to see the end result at the launch in Selfridges."
CSM talent scout, meanwhile, is a recruitment database giving creative companies exclusive access to up-and-coming talent of Central Saint Martins' graduates. A similar service is operated by London College of Fashion, whose LCF FirstMove jobs website enables businesses to post vacancies, or browse a selection of students' and graduates' CVs and portfolios.
The website is just one of the many services offered by LCF Careers, a comprehensive careers management package for students and graduates at the college. Others include the careers toolkit, which provides application guidance, CV and interview tips, and more. The talent team meanwhile offers tailored careers advice and acts as a central point of contact during work experience and placements, a prominent feature of all London College of Fashion courses.
Some courses allow students to complete a paid, 30-week placement in industry between their second and final year, leading to a diploma in professional studies. Students are also encouraged to seek international work experience opportunities.
LCF Careers has formed major links with the fashion and lifestyle industries. Its Inside the Industry series of talks and workshops offers students advice and networking from leading figures, while its tailored mentoring service for final year students matches them with prominent professionals. Last September, LCF Careers hosted Graduate Fashion Bootcamp, a day of advice, guidance and inspiration featuring industry tips and insights.
During their course, students are also given opportunities to work on live projects. It's a two-way process. Companies set students a brief, and in return benefit from an innovative take on their brand. A competition set by high-street chain New Look in 2011 saw MA Fashion Footwear students (famous alumni include shoe designer Jimmy Choo) come up with a spring/summer capsule collection that went on to appear in its stores.
"I never thought I would be in a position of having my designs made up and sold before I even graduated from London College of Fashion," says Chang Seok Ko, overall winner of the competition.
In 2012, Nike's Journey to Greatness initiative saw teams of graduates from all of UAL's six colleges design a series of T-shirts to celebrate athletic achievement in the lead up to the 2012 London Olympic games. London College of Communication dean of design Lawrence Zeegen oversaw the project and the final collection of five T-shirts went on sale at Nike Town London.
The university's summer degree shows provide a fertile hunting ground for industry insiders on the look out for new talent. At Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon colleges, this has become formalised in an annual collaboration with international law firm Clyde & Co, which selects an exhibition of contemporary art work from students' final year shows to display in its London office for 12 months. In return, students receive a cash prize, free legal advice and business mentoring.
Placements, internships and work experience are woven into many of the university's courses, while its Student Enterprise and Employability service SEE offers events, workshops, networking opportunities, advice, start-up loans, grants, the ArtsTemps recruitment agency and Creative Opportunities job website. It also oversees the three-week summer Artsmart festival, and curates the annual Future Map exhibition each January, which has gained a reputation for showcasing future stars.
For course descriptions by college, level and subject, and for the application process, videos and online galleries across the university, visit the UAL website. Scholarship information is also available online.
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