Adobe Study Reveals Strong Correlation between Employability and Creativity 

• Strong correlation emerges between employability and creativity as 47 percent strongly agree that students with digital media skills have an edge in the job market
• Over 58 percent strongly agree that basic digital media skills are essential for the 21^st century workforce
• Gaps identified in the current education system as 87 percent of respondents feel it does not place enough emphasis on creative expression

Manila, Philippines — May 2014 — Adobe unveiled the findings of its ‘Education, Creativity and Employability’ study at the 9^th annual Adobe Education Leadership Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last 31^st March-2^nd April, 2014.  1531 educators representing 13 countries across Asia Pacific were surveyed with an aim to gauge the importance of creativity in education and its role in building a digitally able workforce.

The study revealed interesting points on the ubiquity of creativity in the classroom. Educators across Asia Pacific were unanimous in their agreement that creative expression is a must for all students regardless of their stream of study. An overwhelming 97 percent of respondents feel that creative tools help students to better grasp theoretical concepts and enhance their overall understanding in the classroom.

This year’s study also revealed the growing awareness among educators that basic digital media skills are an essential requirement for the 21^st century workforce with 58 percent strongly agreeing to this statement. Further, 47 percent of respondents agreed that students proficient in digital media skills have a better chance of being recruited, giving them a competitive edge over their less skilled counterparts.

However, the study also highlighted the gaps in the current education system as 87 percent noted that it does not place enough emphasis on creative expression. This clearly implies that students are not gaining the necessary skills required for the modern workplace.

Commenting on the study Peter McAlpine,Senior Director, Education, Adobe Asia Pacific said, “Today we understand that the convergence of academic and creative competencies is helping create new opportunities for a whole new digital workforce. However, as the study highlights, our challenge now is to bridge the gap that currently exists in our education system and to bring the two closer. It’s time for us as educators to come together and  define how to enable this shift, ensuring that students are not only equipped to be consumers of digital content but also to be creators of that content.”

The detailed survey report and infographics can be downloaded here.

COUNTRY COMPARISONS ACROSS ASIA PACIFIC

When compared for their responses across a variety of parameters, more educators in Australia and South Korea indicated that there is a gap in the current education system when it comes to integrating creativity into academics. However, while respondents in Australia seem convinced about the role of creative tools and the importance of digital media skills, South Korean respondents were not as strongly convinced about these aspects. Educators in countries of Southeast Asia are not as negative about the ability of current education systems to integrate creativity into classroom instruction.

Indian educators strongly support the need for both creative expression in the classroom as well as the use of creative tools to clarify concepts.

Educators from Greater China and South Korea are not as strongly supportive as the rest of APAC on the need for basic digital media skills in the workforce, pointing to some cultural differences when it comes to job market expectations. The grid below provides the details:

Commenting on the increasing interplay between creativity and employability, Richard Olsen, Education Consultant from Australia said, “Being a creative person changes everything: it enables us to tackle more complex problems, and it allows us to boldly approach problems outside of the scope of our experience. This is just as well because our global workforce is increasingly moving from muscle jobs to smart jobs, smart jobs that require creativity at their core. My hope is that schools will continue to place a higher priority on nurturing creativity so that their students may realise their full potential.”

The study on ‘Education, Creativity and Employability’ is based on an extensive survey of educators across Asia Pacific covering 13 countries (Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam). The Internet-based survey was carried out from 7^th March to 18^th March, 2014. The profile of respondents included educators in the K-12 and higher education segment.

About Adobe Education Leadership Forum 2014:

The Adobe Education Leadership Forum is Adobe’s flagship education thought leadership event in Asia Pacific. This year, more than 110 education leaders from across Asia Pacific will attend the forum. The theme of this year’s event is “Creativity is no longer an elective. It is our future.” The forum explored the increasing ubiquity of creativity in education and the role that it plays in creating a creative workforce for tomorrow. It explored ways of integrating creative faculties into our current education system, the opportunities and challenges that lie on the way.

Adobe Education Leadership Forum 2014 is an opportunity to hear from industry leaders from across APAC on the latest trends and success stories.

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