Working with industry at HCA
At HCA, industry engagement is integral to how we prepare students for creative careers. We work with more than 275 local, national, and international organisations, bringing current industry knowledge, professional expertise, live projects, and opportunities into our specialist art and design curriculum.
Industry Engagement at HCA
Employment in the Creative Industries
2.4 m
In 2025 there were more than 2.4 million jobs filled in the UK creative industries.
In the Marches region alone, a 2026 report recorded 8,500 creative industry jobs and 1,935 creative businesses.
75 %
Creative roles are skilled roles. In 2024, three out of four creative industries jobs were held by people with a degree or another higher education qualification, compared with 51% across all industries.
47 %
The 2025 Creative Employer Skills Survey revealed that 47% of employers surveyed expected to increase their workforce over the following 3-5 years.
29 %
Creative careers offer real opportunities for freelance, flexible or independent work - with nearly 1 in 3 creative industries jobs classed as self-employed in 2024. This compares with just 15% across the economy.
909000
Skills England projects demand for around 909,000 workers across 30 priority creative industries occupations by 2035. This includes approximately 416,000 additional workers from growth and 493,000 replacements.
Where learning meets professional practice
Bring your next creative challenge to HCA
Why work with HCA
A fresh perspective on your work
Students bring new perspectives, experimentation, and creative approaches to professional challenges, helping organisations explore ideas, develop concepts, and see opportunities from different viewpoints.
A connection with emerging talent
Working with HCA provides insight into the skills, ideas, and practices of the next generation of artists, designers, makers, and creative practitioners across a broad range of disciplines.
Visibility within a creative education community
Partners become part of a vibrant creative network, connecting with students, staff, alumni, audiences, and wider communities through projects, exhibitions, performances, events, and showcases.
Connections with expertise and specialist facilities
Collaborations provide opportunities to engage with HCA’s creative community, including academic expertise, specialist knowledge, research interests, and dedicated creative facilities.
A shared purpose supporting the future creative workforce
Partners play an important role in developing the skills, confidence, and professional understanding of future creatives, helping strengthen the talent pipeline across the creative sector.
Why industry engagement matters
Ways to get involved
Bring a real challenge for students to explore through their course. Share your context, respond to ideas and help shape a valuable professional experience.
Give students an insight into your practice through a talk, workshop or feedback session. Help them understand the decisions and skills behind the work.
Open a window into your workplace, studio or organisation. Show students how creative work develops and introduce the people and processes involved.
Have a placement, paid role or freelance opportunity in mind? Tell us who you are looking for and what the opportunity involves.
More ways to work with us
Click below to get an idea how current partners work with HCA and explore a full list of projects or collaborations that you can get involved with.
Industry + HCA
Creative Industries Days 2026 & Artistan Founder magazine feature editorial
Each year the week prior to the opening of the Degree Show students from the School of Materials and Design get the opportunity to preview their work with a select group of guests invited from a variety of creative industry roles.
Hereford named one of the UK’s top emerging creative cities
Hereford has been ranked sixth in a new national study identifying the UK cities which offer the best balance of factors to enable creatives to thrive - including opportunity, accessible space and affordability.
CALEB KULLMAN MASTERCLASS - 26 Forged Metal Students Collaborate in Innovative Bench Project
Students across all year groups collaborated under master blacksmith Caleb Kullman to forge six benches, gaining professional experience, shared skills, and community support through a weeklong creative masterclass at HCA.
Aysha Tengiz on the Nicer Tuesdays stage talking vulnerability and illustration
The Baboo The Unusual Bee illustrator - and former HCA student - touched on some of the personal challenges (and absolute joy) and being a professional illustrator.
Graduate Rosie Merriman makes waves at Chanel and features in Vogue
Rosie graduated in 2023 after winning the Award for Studentship at the Degree Show. She then went from strength to strength, exhibiting at Llantarnum Grange Portal Exhibition, spotted at New Designers by the Kings Foundation and invited to interview for the prestigious Chanel and King’s Foundation Metier D’art Fellowship.
How a collaboration takes shape
Shape Creative Futures with HCA
We welcome conversations with organisations interested in collaborating with HCA students, academics and the wider creative community. Whether you have a specific project in mind, would like to explore opportunities to share your expertise, or are interested in developing a longer-term partnership, we would be delighted to start a conversation. Our collaborations are shaped around shared goals and can range from individual projects and creative exchanges to sustained partnerships that support innovation, skills development, and the future of the creative industries.
Get in touch with us
Read the PEC's Creative Industries Skills Audit
Read the report
Creative jobs identified in the local skills improvement plan Marches
Read the report
Discover Creative Careers to widen access to creative careers
Read more
UK Research + Innovation launches Creative Industries strategy
Read more
BPI - UK annual recorded music exports top £800 million for the first time
Read more
FAQs
We collaborate with organisations across the creative industries as well as businesses, charities, cultural institutions, and public sector organisations.
An outline is enough to start a conversation for a specific project. Tell us what you are hoping to explore, who it is for and any dates we should know about.
If you want to talk about a more general partnership - or introduce yourself in case opportunities come up in the future, we would love to start a conversation with you as well. Just reach out to the team via enquiries@hca.ac.uk.
If your idea could involve different disciplines, mention this in your enquiry. We can explore what would be appropriate and practical.
It depends on the activity. A guest session and an extended project involve different kinds of preparation and participation. We will discuss the contribution before anything is agreed.
Some collaborations are integrated into teaching and incur no cost, while others may involve commissioned work or funded projects. [Add the approved distinction between course projects, commissions and other services.]
Projects vary from one-off sessions to longer collaborations embedded within teaching modules.
The first step is simply getting in touch so we can explore opportunities together.
Creative skills have a place in many organisations. Tell us about your challenge and we can explore whether there is a relevant connection with our courses.
Many organisations benefit from creative thinking, design insight, and visual communication skills.
