Arts subjects have been excluded from a new government scheme offering adults aged 24 and above free access to courses that lead to their first full Level 3 qualification - equivalent to a technical certificate or diploma, or two A-levels.
£95m has been earmarked from the Lifetime Skills Guarantee programme for almost 400 fully funded courses. Almost entirely science-based, they have been "carefully chosen to help adults improve their job prospects and meet the needs of the economy."
Other sectors also excluded from the list include tourism and hospitality.
CEO of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, Deborah Annetts, described the omission of performing and arts qualifications as "typical of this government’s reckless disregard for vital creative subjects."
Commenting on speculation that this decision was based on what is valued by employers, she said: "the important contribution of music to the UK economy has been seriously underestimated once again."