Speaking as part of the Creative Sparks campaign, Cressida Cowell said: “Creative courses at universities are crucial for young people to see and learn how to make that step into the creative industries. The course that I studied at the University of Brighton was absolutely vital for the beginning of my career - I actually wrote my first picture book on that course, an MA in Narrative Illustration. It’s immensely important for universities to offer very practical, specific courses that their students can then use to make that leap into the industries that we know are so important to the UK.”
Professor Debra Humphris, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Brighton, said: “We are very proud that Cressida Cowell has been recognised as part of this campaign. She is just one example of how the University of Brighton is helping to produce the much-needed talent, innovation, and skills required for the UK’s creative industries to prosper and for the nation to recover post-pandemic.”
Alistair Jarvis CBE, Chief Executive of Universities UK said: “Universities are places where creative ideas flourish, where innovation happens, and where businesses employing thousands of people are started. They’re where the nation’s creative sparks are ignited.”
The Creative Sparks campaign provides a powerful response to threats faced by creative degrees and the wider creative sector. New research conducted for Universities UK found two thirds (69 %) of parents agreeing that creative courses are vital for powering the UK’s creative industries – but also a similar number (67%) fearing this contribution could be under threat from both the pandemic and negative government attitudes to creative degree study.