Developing skills, talent and pathways for a thriving creative economy.

The creative industries drive innovation, economic growth and social value. Yet, many organisations struggle to attract, develop and retain talent, while young people and underrepresented communities continue to face barriers to creative careers.

This November, RSA Cambridge brings together leaders and practitioners from Cambridgeshire's creative, cultural, education and innovation sectors to explore pathways into creative work, future skills needs and opportunities to build a more inclusive and thriving creative ecosystem.

Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC) will kick off with the latest evidence on current and future skills needs across the UK's creative industries, and what this means for policy, employers and workforce development. Then Form the Future will share insights on building stronger education-to-employment pathways and deepening connections between employers and education providers.

After this, a cross-sector panel with perspectives across research, culture and higher education, will collectively explore how Cambridgeshire can nurture a more inclusive creative workforce for the future. Finally, we’ll conclude with an open audience discussion, to share perspectives, reflections and ideas.

Agenda

17:30 | Attendees arrival and check-in

17:45 | Welcome and scene-setting

17:55 | Keynote: The Creative Skills Challenge- Creative PEC

18:05 | Keynote: Building Creative Talent Pipelines- Form the Future

18:15 | Panel Discussion: Closing Culture's Skills Gap- Perspectives from research, higher education and the cultural sector

18:45 | Q&A and audience discussion

19:15 | Reflections and closing remarks

19:20 | Networking reception

19:45 | Event ends - doors close

Speakers (biographies to be added soon)

Nik Gunn, Creative PEC

Anne Bailey FRSA, CEO, Form the Future

Dr Idrees Rasouli FRSA, Associate Professor of Design and Urban Innovation, Anglia Ruskin University

Rosie Cooper, Wysing Arts Centre

Chairs

Elizabeth Donnelly MSc FRSA MRAeS MIfSE is a senior charity chief executive and systems-level leader with a career spanning governance, policy, STEM, and social mobility. She has led national organisations through periods of growth, reform and external scrutiny, combining strategy with operational discipline and a strong ethical core.As Chief Executive of the Women’s Engineering Society, she rebuilt the organisation’s financial position, modernised governance, and expanded reach and influence across industry, academia and government.Elizabeth’s work focuses on widening access, strengthening institutions, and translating evidence into impact, bringing lived insight into the invisible rules, networks and barriers that shape opportunity. https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethdonnellymraes/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethdonnellymraes/)

Laurence Oldham, former head of game design at Frontier Developments, recently founded Digital Impact Incubator to support the transition of people studying games from education to employment. He started his gaming career with Frontier in 2002 and since then has worked as lead designer on multiple projects, from Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-rabbit, to Kinect: Disneyland Adventures and Elite Dangerous. In 2019 he moved from his role as game director on Elite to head of design, leaving that role in 2025 to explore how to help students bridge the gap between education and work. https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurence-v-oldham/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurence-v-oldham/)

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