Creativity leads to higher employability

There is a strong correlation between the employability of younger employees and creativity, as 47% of educators in the APAC region agree students with digital media skills have an advantage in the job market.

This was the crux of a study conducted by Adobe and titled 'Education, Creativity and Employability' which was released early this month and revealed key findings from educators from schools and higher education institutions around Southeast Asia were revealed.

The report found 52% of 121 Southeast Asian educators strongly agree students who are proficient in digital media have a competitive employment advantage - slightly higher than the APAC average of 47%.

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One in six (62%) of the educators also agreed creative expression in school will improve students' conceptual understanding, again putting them ahead of their peers.

The study also highlighted gaps in the current education system, with 87% stating there is not enough of an emphasis on creative expression, which "clearly implies students are not gaining the necessary skills required for the modern workplace" the study reported.

"Today we understand that the convergence of academic and creative competencies is helping create new opportunities for a whole new digital workforce. However, as the study highlights, our challenge now is to bridge the gap that currently exists in our education system and to bring the two closer," Peter McAlpine, senior director of education at Adobe Asia Pacific, said.

"It's time for us as educators to come together and  define how to enable this shift, ensuring that students are not only equipped to be consumers of digital content but also to be creators of that content."

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