Arts Education & Business

Arts Education & Business

Arts Education Prepares Learners to Become Performers in a Professional Construct

By Emerson Burch

Translating academic performance with job performance is an ongoing challenge for any society, particularly in a social construct where learners transition from academic-to-professional constructs.  Outside of a pure apprenticeship approach to professional development, it is important to correlate competency development in educational constructs with competency requirements in professional environments.

The top 10 qualities that employers seek in job applicants include:

·         Communications Skills (listening, verbal, written)

·         Analytical/Research Skills

·         Computer/Technical Literacy

·         Flexibility/Adaptability/Managing Multiple Priorities

·         Interpersonal Abilities

·         Leadership/Management Skills

·         Multicultural Sensitivity/Awareness

·         Planning/Organizing

·         Problem-Solving/Reasoning/Creativity

·         Teamwork

Source: http://www.quintcareers.com/job_skills_values.html

Arts education promotes over half of the critical employability skills – many of which are neglected in a typical academic environment.

Some example careers that benefit from creative capabilities include things like:

·         Architecture

·         Design of all types (cities, homes, products, services, etc)

·         People Management

·         Conflict Resolution

·         Innovation and Creative Problem Solving/Solution Development in Sciences/Engineering, Technology, and Medicine

·         Communications and Marketing

The application of academic information almost exclusively occurs through a creative construct, whether in business, science, religion or a myriad of other fields.  Developing creative capability is a foundational component of any educational system to effectively translate other skills between the classroom, home, and office.

Presenting professional artists within schools provides role models for students who might pursue creative or entrepreneurial endeavors, post-school.  One of the largest disconnects between the average student and their ability to become entrepreneurs is the lack of role models and paradigms… in order to address the growing need of entrepreneurialism in our society, we need solid models of professionals who pursue a non-corporate job manner of working in their field.  We can effectively begin this work by providing solid role-models early on in a child’s education.

To learn more about Emerson Burch please visit: http://www.3585guild.com