Participation in craft-related GCSEs and the number of higher education craft courses is falling, yet craft contributes £3.4 billion to the UK economy and employs over 150,000 people in industries including fashion, film, medicine and engineering. An education in craft develops creativity, inventiveness, problem-solving and practical intelligence. It also produces the makers of the future.
It is why the Crafts Council along with partners, developed Our future is in the making: an education manifesto for craft and making, which launched on the 10 November 2014 at the House of Commons. With five calls for change forming a unified plan of action the manifesto aims to secure the future of craft education.