Here's some information and links to two reports on music education and skills in the UK.

Firstly, the UK Government has published its first national plan for music education which can be read here.

Apart from support for the ‘In Harmony’ programme, the new Government plan ‘The Importance of Music’ (funded with £77m, £65m and £60m over the next three years) will enable every child to have the chance to learn to play a musical instrument for at least a term.

You can read an assemment from the Guardian newspaper here.

The second report comes from UK Music.

To quote their website:

UK Music is an umbrella organisation representing the collective interests of the UK’s commercial music industry, from artists, musicians, songwriters and composers, to major and independent record labels, managers, music publishers, studio producers and collecting societies.

Our core goals are to promote awareness and understanding of:

• The interests of the UK music industry at all levels
• The value of music to society, culture and the economy
• Intellectual property rights and how they protect and promote creativity
• The opportunities and challenges for music creators in the digital age

UK Music works around four priority areas, these are:

• Policy and Government Relations
• Policy within the EU
• Education
• Research

This organisation contributed to the 'Music Blueprint' published earlier this year by Creative & Cultural Skills, the Sector Skills Council for the creative and cultural industries.

'Music Blueprint ' is 'an in-depth research document that has identified and analysed the skills needs of the Music industry throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.' 

A key finding, of interest to this project, is that:

The research has revealed that only 30% of the music industry had undertaken any form of training in the previous year.   With the need for better business development and copyright management skills identified as paramount, The Music Blueprint calls for more investment in and recognition of the importance of training.

The report can be downloaded here.