Universities and the creative industries

Higher education institutions (HEIs) in the United Kingdom are in an era of change with an increasing focus on employer engagement. This article explores the employability issues and then specifically considers the creative industries. It focuses on the spaces and resources of cultural quarters (CQs) as an example of a specific domain in which HEIs engage to realize the potential of their nonscientific creative knowledge. The author argues that employer engagement is not new; therefore, supporting creative practitioners in universities and the creative industries through vehicles such as CQs is a natural extension of an old mission.