It’s the creative industries that are going to flourish in Bath – coming out of Covid-19. That’s the view of Professor Sue Rigby, Vice-Chancellor of Bath Spa University.
She was speaking in the latest of the online conversations hosted by Bath MP Wera Hobhouse,
In a wide-ranging conversation – which included residents – she anticipates attitudes changing now that we have experienced a better quality of life with more free time, clean air and car-free streets.
She says: “The creative industries will blossom because they can be done locally, with fairly small overheads and streamed to everybody. In turn, they will need a digital skills base and cybersecurity expertise. We have courses in all these things in Bath, and they’re going to be needed.”
Bath’s two universities, and Bath College, will be pivotal in the recovery. Prof Rigby explains how their diversity of approach will be critical in the upskilling of our workforce. She says: “The three of us are working with the Council on a project called iSTART. The idea is that it will help people from across Bath and the wider region to change career or to upskill, with anything from basic training to setting up a business. It may not even need a physical building, but its something we can all bring our expertise to.”
She also explained how the University can work very closely with the local community to everyone’s benefit. She says: “Because you used our Locksbrook campus for your arts conference, a very large number of local organisations were able to hear directly from the Arts Council, and successfully bid for emergency funding to get through this difficult period. That’s just one example of how we can work with the local community, and residents can see what we do, and how we can help.”
Wera’s next guest is the Reverend Roger Driver, Vicar of St Michael’s Without Church, on Wednesday 10th June.
To watch the event, please visit https://www.werahobhouse.co.uk/werameetssuerigby.
