The arts and creative industries are a vital part of the ethos of Newcastle and the Hunter, with Novocastrians participating in cultural events at a higher average per capita than anywhere in the country.
These industries also make a major contribution to Australia's economic performance. Pre-COVID creative industries were vibrant and growing areas of the economy, nd they are coming back strong post-lockdown.
Our community expects the University of Newcastle to be a strong partner in promoting and leading in the arts, humanities and creative endeavours.
Positive signs are already here for the future of our creative communities, and our university is excited to be part of the conversation around how we foster success for arts and culture. Ultimately, we want our talented people to be able to turn their passion for creative pursuits into personal satisfaction and career potential.
Our University is committed to preparing students to be life-ready and to find the career that is right for their passion and skills. The skills associated with an education in the humanities and creative arts - creativity and originality, ethical decision-making, analytical thinking and problem solving, the ability to grapple with and communicate complex ideas, and cultural agility - are critical for our workforces of the future.
Many universities are reducing their commitment to these important areas, despite the fact that student applications in these areas are strong, as shown in recent reports by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment. Although we face pressures caused by COVID, we have moved to recommit to the arts and creative industries. I believe we lead the sector in the strengths of our teaching and research in these very important fields.
This next generation wants evidence that their degree is not only social and fun, connecting them to rich ideas and possibility, but also meaningful, offering them pathways to employment as we come through COVID-19 as a community.
Employers are looking for graduates who can imagine the future of work. What we have seen in the last 18 months is a glimpse of alternative ways of working. This is not only about digital and remote work. There is also new awareness of social equity: and the serious impact of social change on women and men balancing caring roles and work or study, or on people without access to digital technology or spaces at home.
We now also understand more about the economic impact on precarious creative workers and young people whose employment sectors have been hardest hit by the pandemic. Our researchers have shared evidence of young people's work in the hospitality industry being one example of the impact of COVID-19. The vast workforce of younger people involved in creative productions for movies, and in television and design and visual arts, was also impacted by the loss of work during the pandemic.
We now also understand more about the economic impact on precarious creative workers and young people whose employment sectors have been hardest hit by the pandemic.
This is even more interesting because so many of us relied on the feast of wonderful storytelling in movies and television to get us through lockdowns. But more importantly, we need to thrive through alternative ideas about our society and culture: art, writing, film and documentary all allow us glimpses into human understanding of our world. And we also use the arts to build our cultural understanding as we learn from and with our Aboriginal communities.
All of this tells me that we need, more than ever, social research capable of guiding and providing insight into the dramatic economic and social impacts of COVID-19. Thinking about the world around us should be partnered with science, engineering, medicine and health to help map a sustainable future for everyone.
From next year we will have a new School featuring degrees with embedded work experiences in a range of areas that offer good employment prospects for the future. These include writing and communicating, designing virtual worlds for human interaction, and social work and human services for people with different needs.
University education in regional cities is central to future social and economic renewal. Education, research and the development of our talented population will keep our region strong, connected, and positively anticipating a bright future. In the humanities, creative industries and social sciences, we have been and will continue to be a part of this growth with our amazing students from 2022 and beyond.
Professor Catharine Coleborne will help to establish and lead the new School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences at the University of Newcastle, which launches in early 2022.
