The Council for Higher Education in Art and Design (CHEAD) is the leading representative body for art, design and related creative higher education disciplines in the UK. CHEAD are mobilising their 73 member universities to embed Skills for Planet within their art and design curricula.
The opportunity
CHEAD recognised that, while sustainability was becoming a bigger focus across art and design higher education, green design skills were not yet reaching students consistently and were still often seen as a specialist area.
The Skills for Planet Blueprint provided the ‘golden ticket that everyone could buy into’, giving CHEAD the opportunity to anchor their desired sector-wide change in a common framework and helping them promote green skills as an essential skillset for any design graduate.
If all 73 member universities embed green skills into their design courses, an estimated 180,000 budding designers would be upskilled by 2030. CHEAD therefore has a huge role to play in influencing design higher education to teach students green skills as a default, rather than an exception.
“Without the Blueprint there would be no common language and no shared definitions of what green design skills are. The Blueprint gives the sector an industry-led, systematic approach. The tracking means that outputs and impact are measured, aggregated and demonstrated at a sector-wide level.”
Sandra Booth, Director of Policy and External Relations, CHEAD
Instigating sector-wide change
CHEAD have influenced member universities to embed the Skills for Planet Blueprint through a combination of structural and strategic changes. To support the UK-wide adoption of the Blueprint into curricula, CHEAD worked with the Design Council to appoint a Regional Skills for Planet Champion across each of the 12 UK regions, which provides a network of early adopters who can help other universities on their journey.
Alongside this, CHEAD have woven Skills for Planet into their own organisation, such as through highlighting it in their Creative Education Manifesto and Subject Association Missions, helping ensure that Skills for Planet is a long-term focus.
Impact
15 universities have committed to embedding the Blueprint so far.
12 Regional Skills for Planet University Champions in post.
8 universities have embedded the Skills for Planet Blueprint (Sheffield Hallam, Bath Spa, De Montfort, Chelsea College of Arts, Kingston, Lancaster, Cardiff Metropolitan and Northumbria).
Current university partners projected to upskill over 12,000 students by 2030.
If all 73 CHEAD members embed the Blueprint, 180,000 students could be upskilled.
“Going forward, I think that there won’t be any design programmes that are approved that don’t have some element of Skills for Planet. We are part of a bigger movement across schools, colleges, industry, independent practitioners… and everyone is being held to account now.”
Sandra Booth, Director of Policy and External Relations, CHEAD