The IST will join Creative UK at the Creative Workforce Conference on 27 November 2026 to deliver a keynote session exploring the future of professional recognition across the creative industries.
The creative industries are powered by talented people working across an extraordinary range of disciplines. Actors, designers, producers, artists and directors are often the most visible names attached to a production. Behind them, however, are thousands of technical professionals and practitioners whose expertise makes creative work possible, from lighting and sound to broadcast, digital technology, engineering, production and technical management. Recognising that expertise is becoming increasingly important.
At this year’s Creative Workforce Conference, the IST will be speaking alongside Creative UK to explore how the Creative Registration Framework can help reshape professional development and career progression for technical professionals working across the sector.
Taking place at 09:40–10:05 on 27 November, the keynote session, “The Creative Registration Framework”, will look at recent developments within the Creative Industries Sector Plan and what they could mean for professional development and technical careers. The session will explore how the framework is designed to provide a clearer structure for recognising professional competence and progression.
For many technical professionals, career development doesn’t always follow a conventional path. Experience can be built through productions, freelance projects, apprenticeships, hands-on learning, specialist training and years of solving problems on the job. That experience is valuable.
The challenge is making it visible, transferable and professionally recognised.
A central part of the keynote will be an introduction to the framework itself, including its three levels and the application process. The framework has been designed to recognise different stages of professional development, allowing individuals to demonstrate where they are in their career and progress as their experience, responsibility and professional impact grow. This is particularly relevant to technical professionals, where progression isn’t always as straightforward as moving from one job title to another.
A technician might develop into a practitioner, take on greater responsibility, lead technical teams or eventually influence wider organisational and strategic decisions. Professional registration provides a way of recognising that progression.
Professional recognition isn’t simply about adding letters after a name.
It can help employers, clients and colleagues understand the level of competence and responsibility associated with an individual’s professional practice.
For professionals themselves, it can provide a framework for reflecting on their skills, identifying areas for development and demonstrating a commitment to maintaining professional standards. That could become increasingly important as the creative industries continue to evolve. Technology is changing how productions are created and delivered. Technical roles are becoming more interconnected with digital systems, engineering, data, networks and emerging technologies. The professionals working in these roles need opportunities to develop alongside those changes.
The Creative Registration Framework is part of a wider conversation about how the UK develops, supports and retains the people who make its creative industries possible. That conversation isn’t only about recruiting more people.
It’s about creating clearer pathways for people already working in the sector to develop their careers, whilst helping organisations understand and recognise the expertise they have within their teams.
The collaboration between the IST and Creative UK provides an opportunity to bring technical professional development further into that conversation.
The Creative Workforce Conference takes place on 27 November 2026, bringing together people working across the creative sector to discuss the workforce challenges and opportunities shaping its future.
The IST is delighted to be contributing alongside Creative UK and looks forward to sharing the latest developments in the Creative Registration Framework. Because the future of the creative industries isn’t just about the ideas being created. It’s also about recognising the skilled professionals who make those ideas possible.
Event Details:
Creative Workforce Conference – 27 November 2026
Keynote Address: The Creative Registration Framework
From IST: JP Ashton-Kinlin, FIScT and Dr Ian Tidmarsh, FIScT
The session will cover:
- Recent developments and next steps relating to the Creative Industries Sector Plan
- Professional development and career progression for technical professionals and practitioners
- The purpose, three levels and application process of the Creative Registration Framework
- The benefits of professional accreditation
- Potential future extensions to the framework
Find out more about the Creative Registration Framework: IST Creative Professional Registers
Learn more about Creative UK: Creative UK