Placements will be good for design, as well as the children

Regarding your item on apprenticeship placements for schoolchildren within design consultancies (Voxpop, DW 13 March), I feel that the Government has a respon sibility for children and it’s the general consensus that industry must also play a part in Britain’s future as a global creative hub.

Any undertaking like this must start in schools and include children from all backgrounds, many of whom will lack a real understanding and knowledge of the creative sector.

This strategy is about industry helping to find talent, some of which may lay dormant within children whose careers paths are unknown.

Already, the current curriculum expects schools to provide an opportunity for young people to work alongside professionals in the creative sector, where children learn insight and selfconfidence and witness problem-solving as a team. The apprenticeships being discussed aren’t intended to steer young people down particular career paths, they are intended more to provide doorways to the creative sector.

The skills expected and needed by the creative industries don’t seem to be coming through, and it isn’t simply about artistic talent either. By taking part in these schemes, industry could help to shape curriculum content across schools and then universities. By doing this, the creative sector will be playing its part in helping young people to choose the right discipline at university when the time comes. These choices could bring long-term benefits to business via a wider pool of talent that only correct choices can bring.

Bill Green, Director, Funnel Creative, Manchester M4 1LG