The effective recruitment, development, retention and support of its human resources are a critical factor in the future well-being of BC’s cultural sector. The unique challenges of doing so in a sector where self-employment and nonstandard work are so prevalent require a multiple-method approach.

Over the past few years, a number of studies and pilot projects have identified issues, profiled the strengths, and pointed out the deficits of the cultural sector in this area. We know why things are the way they are. We know what needs to change. Strategies are being built nationally to help us address these issues. It is time to take action to ensure these responses are effective for our local needs and so that independent artists, cultural workers and those who employ them in our sector can find and access real tools and resources.

The Greater Vancouver Alliance for Arts and Culture provided the incubation space for the Steering Committee that guided a sector study over a two year period. Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) provided funding for the formal phase of the Project through its Industrial Adjustment program.

The BC Cultural Sector Development Council emerged from this earlier work, and is currently a virtual organization connecting the committed Council members as we work to implement an ambitious vision: to “galvanize the cultural community and its stakeholders into action to identify shared issues and create effective strategies to an enhanced environment of learning and earning for organizations and individuals”.

With that goal in mind, the Council has been has been working to develop an effective sectoral HR strategy that will prioritize issues, create local solutions, reduce duplication of effort and facilitate cooperation and collaboration. A task group of committed sector leaders have been connecting with our partners and stakeholders and to move forward with implementation. Funding and other resources to support this stage will be secured from sources with a stake in the sector, based on economic, social and capacity options.

OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES

This project invited the cultural community and its stakeholders to:

• Identify shared issues, useful tools and resources within & outside the sector;
• Create effective strategies leading to an enhanced environment of learning and earning for cultural organizations and individual cultural workers; and,
• Identify and confirm funding and other resources necessary to sustain effective implementation of the strategy.

The implementation plan is gradually being launched. Expected outcomes are:

• Increased support from government, foundations and other funders to build capacity for maximizing the human resources in the cultural sector,
• Increased access to support and resources from external community and economic partners; and,
• Increased recognition by those working in the sector of the importance of investment in human resources, and the increased capacity to do so.

SECTOR PARTICIPATION

During August and September, 2004, we conducted a series of consultation workshops around the province. Participants in these events reviewed a consultation paper (also available on this website), which summarized key findings and recommendations from recent cultural HR studies across Canada . During the workshops, the focus was on discussing those recommendations that are most important to the human resource success of our sector in BC. The summary reports of these workshops are available on this site.

Preliminary information-gathering identified the various organizations serving or having an interest in human resource development in the cultural sector in BC. This information was compiled into a Stakeholder Directory, which will form the basis of a useful online Resource Guide also available through public libraries. A commitment has been made to keep this resource maintained and easily updated, but the real outcome is to identify gaps in services and ways to address those gaps through sustainable actions.

The Council is responsible for synthesizing the information into a viable human resource strategy, and building a business plan and a set of key partnerships to take effective action.