Arts Institute's creative approach to riding out gloom (From Bournemouth Echo)

Arts Institute's creative approach to riding out gloom

12:37pm Wednesday 15th April 2009 in

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THE number of students applying to join The Arts Institute at Bournemouth has rocketed by 16 per cent despite the credit crunch.

The final figure is still being calculated but the AIB has definitely beaten the 9.5 per cent national increase in applications for creative degrees.

In fact, some students have used the recession as the perfect chance to learn new skills.

The applications arrived from November onwards, soon after the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the emergencies at Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds TSB.

Jon Renyard said: “People have maybe wanted a job in the creative arts for many years and decide to follow that dream.

“They see learning new skills as a way of coming out stronger at the end of the recession, “I am sure there’s an element of that, though the majority will be school and college leavers applying in the usual way.”

The institute has a fearsome international reputation in producing creative people with vocational skills.

Just two of the most famous graduates include Turner Prize winner Wolfgang Tillmans, and multi-award winning fashion photographer Nick Knight.

Mr Renyard said: “We do have a strong reputation that we have worked hard to maintain.

“Part of that is our graduate employment record. Ninety five per cent of our students get jobs within six months.”

The AIB cannot decide how many places it offers and the Government decided in October to cap the increase in student numbers for the whole country.

It has 3,100 full time students and Mr Renyard said: “Unfortunately we can’t take any more people at the moment because we clearly have the capacity to grow.”