We need to cooperate to improve our artists' influence, impact, and success on the labor market. We also need to share experiences, exchange good practices, and cooperate to transfer our work to higher-level expanding and internationalizing educational activities of institutions and participants. In cooperation with our partners, we produced an innovative vocational curriculum that covers basic knowledge and skills that young artists need for a quality professional start, either as entrepreneurs (freelancers, independent artists, self-employed) or company employees. This innovative curriculum did not exist in any art secondary vocational school in the Republic of Croatia or in the programs of similar high schools in the region (Slovenia, Austria). After its development, the curriculum will be applied more widely than in the Republic of Croatia. It is also applicable in both secondary and higher vocational education and training. The project had the aim to educate: - students (in the piloting) to be self-sufficient and self-reliable in running their business careers – teachers to implement the materials of the new curriculum to benefit of the students - already finished artists in business/IT/digital skills they are curre
Our premise is that young artists need to receive education for business skills (entrepreneurship, law, economics, financial management, digital skills, marketing, communication, social network content management, etc) during their high school education so they can have a higher probability of success in making a living practising their art form. Artists can do business through several very different business models, but during their education, they are not even familiar with how to legally sell their work or services. Globally, cultural and creative industries have shown great resilience to crises, so future artists should be well informed about the opportunities offered to them for various types of cooperation in the global marketplace. Lack of education makes it very difficult for artists to work because they spend too much time gathering information, and often because of ignorance, they work illegally, do not pay taxes, avoid doing business internationally, work without contracts, and so on. Circumstances and market conditions have changed drastically for artists who are unprepared to act professionally in this market. Artists need to acquire a new set of skills to respond to these market changes.