Jewellery Making School in London, UK

Flux Studios, London:
Flux Studios is a new purpose built specialist jewellery studio and workshop, providing courses in jewellery making for beginner, intermediate and advanced students. We are located in Vanguard Court, Camberwell, Southwark, beside Heathrow Airport in South London. The studio offers a comprehensive membership package to graduate/new jewellers wishing to become established. We provide affordable opportunities for graduates, interested adults and the local community to explore and develop jewellery making skills. We are a stepping-stone for students and recent graduates in jewellery to enter the field in a supported environment. The Studio also provides a creative environment to learn how to make jewellery through a range of daytime and evening classes. The provision of continuity of learning and opportunities to progress are integral to the objectives of Flux, as those attending classes become sufficiently competent to become members and thus explore their business potential.

We provide courses and workshops in jewellery making for beginner, intermediate and advanced students. The studio offers a comprehensive membership package to graduate/new jewellers wishing to become established. We provide affordable opportunities for graduates, interested adults and the local community to explore and develop jewellery making skills.

Motivation for Flux Studios:
The decision to create Flux Studios has evolved in response to three well documented gaps in the progression routes for the creative industries generally, with particular focus on the jewellery industry.

1. There has been little or no support for graduates to become established in their practice on leaving college (creative entrepeneurship).
2. The traditional training routes for adults entering or returning to the creative fields have been, and continue to be massively eroded.
3. Few young people are entering the jewellery field, at a time where the sector has identified an ageing / reducing workforce.

In setting up Flux Studios, we see an opportunity to make a big change in the way that the jewellery industry can be supported.

An additional influence in this plan has been the desire to instigate social cohesion through group activity, using jewellery making as a vehicle towards this end. Grass roots provision, once abundant and accessible, has traditionally fulfilled this role. Through Flux Studios this provision can be re-established.

An issue identified in the JSIP report, is that while the jewellery manufacturing industry in the UK is worth a massive £495 million (1999 ) annually, the nature of this market is shifting; In order to keep its market lead the UK must harvest the design skills, originality and innovations that the graduate market has to offer.

There are 5 major art colleges in London providing courses in jewellerymaking at degree level or above. There are at least 100 new jewellers graduating from these courses, year on year. There is little available in the way of monitoring with regard to their subsequent employment history, but the number of graduates entering the jewellery trade through traditional pathways is thought to be very small. The most common route for graduate jewellers is through self -employment as designer makers; their impact is not so well documented.

Obstacles include financial restriction, difficulty in finding and equipping affordable studio space, loss of tutor mentoring/ peer support; skills and knowledge limitations, little knowledge or connection with manufacturers and a lack of business skills.

Life long learning is well recognised to provide solid foundations for personal and community wellbeing.

We as a nation are prized for our creativity, but at every turn funding for adult and community education in the arts is being eroded.

Since the LSC’s decision to withdraw support for part time accredited courses aimed at the adult population, more and more colleges have withdrawn support for adult and community courses in creative subjects. Existing jewellery courses are closing down.

And yet there exists an enormous demand for access to courses and workshops in jewellery making.

Students attending evening courses vie for places at the few remaining London colleges that provide such services.

* Access to weekend workshop usage is unobtainable.
* Availability of weekend courses is limited.
* Many of the courses that do exist run during the weekdays, and are beyond the range of affordability, especially when in order to attend time off work must also be negotiated.

Adults in the low-income bracket have little opportunity to enter the field. There is demand without service in this field.

- The studio provides affordable opportunities for graduates, interested adults and the local community to explore and develop jewellerymaking skills.

- The studio provides a stepping - stone for recent graduates in jewellery to enter the field at an affordable price, in a supported environment.

- The studio also provides an exciting creative environment for the wider community to learn how to make jewellery through a variety of competitively priced classes.

- The provision of continuity of learning and opportunities to progress are integral to the business as those attending classes become sufficiently competent to become members and thus explore their business potential.

The Benefits:
* Raising the bar: More graduates stay in the field, thus raising the standards for innovative design.

* Supporting creative entrepeneurship: Experienced individuals who want to explore the potential for a career change into the field have the opportunity to do so in a supported environment.

* Educating the next generation of jewellerymakers and designers: The demand is met for the local community wishing to explore their creativity through jewellerymaking.

* Inspiration: The community users have an opportunity to work alongside inspirational new professionals.

* Educating the public - design appreciation: The local community (and a widening network) is introduced to the concept of designer jewellery; there is an opportunity to appreciate and purchase well - crafted and original jewellery by local makers

* Financial return: Graduates become successful makers. Graduates support UK manufacturing. New students purchase materials, tools and publications from Hatton Garden. Students attend exhibitions, events and specialist workshops in jewellery. Students purchase the work of others. Students move into full time education. Students become makers. Makers generate income…..