Education and training
What does this fader do, I wonder? ARISE, ACCREDITATION...
JAMES apprenticeships will appeal to “small and medium sized studios and facilities (SMEs) who may need to train particular people if they want to expand a little – perhaps by just one or two staff members” David Ward, JAMES/APRS
is designed to make music industry-related careers more accessible. The apprenticeship scheme is
certainly far-reaching; UK Music says it will be suitable for companies ranging from record labels to collection societies with access to grants of up to £2,000. Among other plans, the Academy will also: work with employers and Creative & Cultural Skills to develop a new range of technical music apprenticeships; create a national network of skills and training partners; establish an annual Skills Festival featuring workshops and an awards ceremony; and allow students access to a network of rehearsal spaces for special artist and industry events.
www.psneurope.com Speaking to PSNEurope back
in February, UK Music CEO Jo Dipple confirmed that training was “a huge priority” for the organisation going forwards. The new Academy project would seem to be proof positive. “There are thousands of different jobs in the music industry, from marketing new artists with an innovative digital strategy to working the mixing desk at a gig,” she says. “These jobs are hugely prized and the purpose of our Skills Academy is to provide alumni with all the necessary tools to ensure they are at the front of the queue when music businesses are looking for new talent.” JAMES co-founder of the MPG is a member of UK Music, and Dipple confirms the ongoing collaboration between
the organisations over the area of skills. Regarding the JAMES- initiated apprenticeships, she remarks that UK Music “will support this initiative and indeed we welcome all our members’ actions within the skills and training agenda”.
A QUESTION OF DEGREES Meanwhile, in a more purely university- or college-based context, the availability of diploma, degree and post- graduate courses continues to blossom, with many programmes aiming to prepare students for careers across the technical sound world. Additionally, an increasing number of institutions have developed shorter courses on audio and related disciplines. Fresh from celebrating its 20th anniversary, North
As its new apprenticeship initiative indicates, the influence of JAMES on UK audio and producer training is substantial. Co-established by the MPG and the APRS (Association of Professional Recording Services), JAMES is also responsible for an HE accreditation scheme (and, since this year, an FE one too) that has brought an unparalleled level of benchmarking to UK audio courses. “One of my first tasks when I formed the APRS Education Committee with [renowned studio consultant and manager] Dave Harries many years ago was to help studios establish which of the courses were any good,” recalls JAMES policy director David Ward. The eventual result was a collaboration with the MPG under the JAMES umbrella and the development of a formal accreditation scheme to “put our industry approval on a particular course in a university” – but not, it should be noted, on the institution as a whole.
Using trained assessors including Tony Platt and Ward himself, the scheme entails an institution “making an application, submitting it as one document that we go through to ensure that fundamentals have been met. All
course and module documentation is then requested and examined, after which two assessors then make a one-day visit to the university or college to appraise the general facilities, talk with students and staff, and offer any advice they can. Subsequent to that, they write an approval report and make recommendations on behalf of the industry, and if necessary suggest steps needed to be taken for the course to be approved.” Accreditation lasts for three years, after which institutions may apply for re-accreditation. Accrediting a single course costs in the region of £3,500, although costs can be negotiated for multiple courses. Approximately 30 courses in the UK now have accreditation, whilst the scheme is also available internationally. In addition to the involvement of the APRS and the MPG, UK Screen has also come onboard in more recent years, whilst BASCA (British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors) has endorsed a scheme for songwriting and composition. As ever, says Ward, the approach remains “supportive, not adversarial. The whole point of doing this is to support the educationalists.”
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