Lorna Jowett

In conversation with a colleague from English Literature recently, a
question was posed that inspired this blog: 'Is it ethical to charge
students £9,000 in fees on the basis that a degree will get them a
better job?' I'm not sure I can answer either yes or no to this
question, but it certainly provoked me to think about the various
factors and contradictions at play for degrees in subjects like media,
film and television, from either the 'studies' or the 'production'
angle, and how this affects the future lives and careers of our
graduates.

I'm sure anyone reading this is already aware of the level of student
debt: last year an [article in The
Guardian](http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/apr/10/university-students-loans-fees-graduate-debt)
reported that according to a recent study 'The majority of
undergraduates now at university will be paying off their student loans
well into their 40s and 50s, with three-quarters of them unable to clear
the debt before it is written off after 30 years' and 'that the average
student will leave university more than £44,000 in debt'. While the 2015
HESA report on [Destination of Leavers from Higher
Education](https://www.hesa.ac.uk/component/content/article?id=3630)
shows that numbers of UK university graduates from 2014 in work or study
has slightly increased, and that graduate salaries are also rising,
these increases are slight and destination data demonstrates that
different disciplines or subject areas have different levels of success.
Academics all know graduates who have managed to get jobs with
high-profile employers---our success stories---but we also know those
who are in retail or administration because they never achieved that
dream job.

Academics in the UK are also acutely aware of the drive to emphasise
employability in marketing, promoting and 'selling' degree courses and
to produce 'industry-ready' graduates. Many academics in media subjects,
while understanding that preparing students for employment is part of
what a university education does, are concerned that the current
employability agenda should not overshadow the academic rigor and
pedagogic rationale of university degree courses.

Unsurprisingly, studies show that graduates in arts, humanities and
creative subjects are less likely to be in employment or further study
and less likely to be in 'professional' or 'graduate-level' jobs than
those from STEM subjects. Media, television and film subjects straddle,
at times somewhat uneasily, the creative and the industrial/ commercial,
included in the 'creative industries' but sometimes excluded from the
arts and culture sector. When students come to university, frequently
saying, 'I want to work in the media,' they do not always have a
developed awareness of what 'working in the media' means. Admittedly, a
university degree programme can, and probably should, develop student's
sector awareness and indicate possible career paths but facilitating
this kind of learning is not always easy to negotiate. It should also be
noted that while students often embark on a degree with this in mind,
they do not always leave with the same goal, and certainly do not always
end up working in the sector. Moreover, the employability agenda is
driving more and more 'industry' input into degree courses, yet this
arguably favours the 'production' rather than 'studies' types of media
degrees.

So what are the prospects for media graduates? Again, there are many
familiar stories. On the plus side, the creative industries sector is
growing and expanding faster than other areas of the UK economy,
suggesting that more jobs are available (and offering material for
university open day talks where staff are encouraged to highlight
employability). Yet media jobs are notoriously competitive, and as the
[2015 Report by the Warwick Commission on the Future of Cultural
Value](http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/research/warwickcommission/futureculture/finalreport/warwick_commission_report_2015.pdf)
states:

There is evidence of an over-supply of graduates seeking employment in
cultural and creative occupations. This encourages employers to fill
administrative, support and managerial roles that do not require
technical skills or specialist creative talent, with graduates who may
be over-qualified for the roles they fill (p48).

There are many things we can do as teaching academics to maximise
students' employability through skills development and curriculum design
aimed at increasing sector awareness. But how far can we manage
expectations and provide a truly realistic picture of career paths
without presenting a negative picture that many students, especially
those lacking in self-confidence, will find extremely daunting?

The [Creative Media Workforce Survey
2014](http://creativeskillset.org/assets/0001/0465/Creative_Skillset_Creative_Media_Workforce_Survey_2014.pdf)
produced by Creative Skillset notes that '78% of the respondents are
educated to degree level' and that 'This is the highest level since the
survey began and also more than double the average for the wider UK
working population.' The survey also identifies an 'increase in
respondents holding a creative/media degree (51%, up from 37% in 2010
and more than doubled since 2003).' This suggests, then, that graduates
do have better chances of employment in the sector

Creative industries professionals may need to be self-employed,
self-starters or freelancers, and will therefore probably have to draw
on a range of skills. Some of these skills are not popular with students
who see themselves as creative individuals (business skills and
entrepreneurship, group work) or as practitioners (reflection,
articulation and critical thinking). Managing expectations is crucial,
especially given that students increasingly see themselves as consumers
and demand value for money from their university education. However,
prior educational experience has not always prepared today's students
for the independent learning and critical enquiry that are essential
parts of Higher Education (at least in the minds of most academics and
employers) and structures of testing in schools lead to instrumental
attitudes to learning 'to pass the exam' or qualification. This is not
necessarily something that can be addressed in a three year degree
programme in one subject area. As the 2015 Warwick Commission report
notes:

Education and skills development are essential in order to maximise our
nation's full creative and cultural potential. The key to enriching
Britain is to guarantee a broad cultural education for all (through arts
skills acquisition, participation in arts and cultural events and
enhanced appreciation), an education and a curriculum that is infused
with multi-disciplinarity, creativity and enterprise and that
identifies, nurtures and trains tomorrow's creative and cultural talent.
The English education system does not provide or encourage either of
these priorities and this will negatively impact not just on the future
of the creative industries but on our capacity to produce creative,
world-leading scientists, engineers and technologists. (p15)

In addition, there are various obstacles to university courses producing
'industry-ready' graduates who go on to have successful careers in
media. Universities have a range of strategies to provide industry input
(though 'industry' may be interpreted variously). One of the most
popular is work placements, internships and/or work experience for
students. However, opportunities for these are limited, often
geographically or economically, and there is a risk of exploiting
student labour. Academics and those working in the industry have
differing views on the ethics of being expected to work for free when
acquiring what is often termed 'essential' work experience. Graduates
are often prepared to compromise in doing unpaid work, on the assumption
that it will help them get paid employment. Yet the 2015 Warwick
Commission Report observes that 'In a recent study of respondents drawn
from the Cultural and Creative Industries workforce, 91% said they had
worked for free at some point in their career yet only 28% indicated
that working for free had led to paid work.' Creative Skillset's
Workforce Survey found a small decrease in the number of employees who
had undertaken unpaid work experience (from 80% in 2010 to 77% in 2014)
but those having done work experience before their first job rose from
37% to 41% and the number of those having done unpaid work at some point
had also risen. The [2015 National Minimum Wage Low Pay Commission
Report](https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/413415/The_National_Minimum_Wage_Low_Pay_Commission_Report_2015.pdf)
states that the NUS 'called for us to continue to recommend strong
action is taken to enforce minimum wage rules around internships and
unpaid work experience, to avoid further exploitation of young workers'
yet this situation continues, despite previous recommendations that the
minimum wage should apply.

It is also, unfortunately, still true that while the student body in
media subjects is diverse, the workforce in the sector is much less so.
Creative Skillset note that '7% of the workforce identified themselves
as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB), slightly higher than the total UK
population (6%)' but women and BAME are still underrepresented, as are
those declaring disabilities (5% of the workforce compared with 11%
across the UK working population) and Creative Skillset also found that
'14% of the workforce attended an independent/ fee-paying school, double
the proportion of the UK population (7%)'.It is certainly difficult to
know how to prepare students for this reality, without damaging their
self-confidence and drive to succeed. The importance of networking is
often emphasised to students on media degree programmes and Creative
Skillset report that '56% found out about their current or most recent
role through informal recruitment methods. This is a significant
increase on 2010 (46%)'.

But if students and graduates do not have access to the informal
networks because of gender, ethnicity, disability or social background
then this knowledge will not necessarily change anything. The Warwick
Commission Report notes that

The over-supply of graduates has also created a culture of unpaid
internships, work placements, closed social networks and falling levels
of pay which disadvantage BAME, women and students from low-income
backgrounds in particular and does not promote the diversity needed for
a successful creative economy (p48)

![Unpaid
Internships](http://cms.cstonline.net/resizeimage.php?width=200&height=284&image=http://cdn.cstonline.net/assets/image/user_94/Unpaid%20internships%20-%20InternAware-200x284.jpg "Unpaid Internships"){.addCaption
.aligncenter loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="200" height="284"}

Therefore, while the [Creative Industries Strategy
2013-2016](https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/362253/Creative_Industries_Strategy_2013-16.pdf),
produced by the Technology Strategy Board states that

The creative industries are increasingly recognised for the wider value
they bring to the UK economy as a whole. Whether in the connections
between film and tourism, designer fashion and retail or architecture
and construction, the creative industries have strong commercial
networks and links across the economy (p8).

there is more to the value of creative industries than their
contribution to the economy. There is also more to an education in
television, film and media than economic prospects. The Warwick Report
highlights the cultural value of the sector to the UK as a whole and
further research is needed to find qualitative measures for creative
industries employees. Addressing issues around unpaid work and access to
jobs are important but employability, success and job satisfaction are
not just about wage levels. The reports cited here are almost unanimous
in recommending that a more coherent and effective strategy is needed to
ensure the future of successful creative industries in the UK and higher
education should play a part in this strategy. As an academic who
regularly discusses these issues with colleagues inside and outside of
the HE sector, I certainly agree. In the meantime, I continue to try and
support my students by developing their sector awareness, as well as
their critical and creative thinking as best I can.

 

**Lorna Jowett** is a Reader in Television Studies at the University of
Northampton and coordinator of the Cult TV: TV Cultures Network. She is
the co-author with Stacey Abbott of *TV Horror: Investigating The Dark
Side of the Small Screen* (2013) and author of *Sex and the Slayer: A
Gender Studies Primer for the* Buffy *Fan* (2005). She has published
many articles on television, film and popular culture, and is currently
working on a book about gender in the *Doctor Who* franchise.


In conversation with a colleague from English Literature recently, a question was posed that inspired this blog: ‘Is it ethical to charge students £9,000 in fees on the basis that a degree will get them a better job?’ I’m not sure I can answer either yes or no to this question, but it certainly provoked me to think about the various factors and contradictions at play for degrees in subjects like media, film and television, from either the

Messaggi di Rogue Scholar

ETHICS, EMPLOYABILITY, AND EDUCATION: ‘I WANT TO WORK IN THE MEDIA’