A new sector skills council for creative arts and skills such as advertising, craft, design, music, performing, literary and visual arts, has been launched.

Creative and Cultural Skills, chaired by Tony Hall, chief executive of the Royal Opera House with Tome Bewick as chief executive, represents a workforce of almost a million people.

At the launch event, Phil Hope MP, Minister for Adult Skills said that coming soon after London's successful Olympic bid, this was an auspicious time for the design, arts and advertising fields.

"The 2012 Olympics will be a huge opportunity for the arts, for designers, for advertising and for our cultural heritage. We want to welcome the world in style and we will be looking to the creativity and professional know-how of your sector to do just that," he said.

Hope said that the skills council would help put in place a world-class training and skills system in its fields.

Chair of Creative and Cultural Skills Tony Hall gave his commitment to ensuring that the opinions and needs of employers are heeded.

"As employers we are in a far better position than others when it comes to judging what our skills needs are. It's time that we got together to say what we want.

"Myself, Tom and the rest of the Board want us all to work together to address the needs of our sector's employers and to deliver skills and opportunities to those who need them. In that sense I hope that today marks the start of what will become an ongoing campaign."