Creative Media Skills - Level 2 Diploma

Essentials

Duration: 1 Year Full-time
Start date: 4th September 2023
End date: 7th June 2024
Information event: Y

Course fee: FREE (See eligibility criteria)

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Course Aims

This new course is aimed at students who want to specialise in creative digital media from an early stage. Our learners will study for 15 hours per week across one academic year.

During this time, you will learn a range of skills, including:

• Games Development
• Animation
• Digital Marketing
• Digital audio
• Web design
• Film/Digital Moving Imagery
• Photography
• Project management

There is a continuous demand for creative media skills throughout all sectors of the economy; every business needs a website and social media content. The film, television, gaming and animation industries in Belfast are thriving and providing job opportunities for digital creatives in Northern Ireland.

This one-year entry-level course will set you on a very definite pathway to employment.

If you have a talent for design, if you love working with computer software and if you want to become part of the creative media industry then this is the course that you are looking for.

Equipment

All hardware and software used on the course is industry standard and will allow you to gain invaluable experience before entering the world of work or further study. You will get the opportunity to learn a variety of software including:

• Photoshop
• Illustrator
• After Effects
• InDesign
• Dreamweaver
• Premiere Pro
• Blender
• Visual Studio Code
• Web applications & frameworks

You will also get to use a range of professional hardware including:

• DSLR Cameras and lenses
• Lighting equipment
• Graphics tablets
• Sound equipment

World Skills competitions

Our students also get the opportunity to compete in the creative media section of the World Skills competition. This allows students to benchmark their skills against their peers across the UK. It also gives you the potential for travel if you make it to the final which is usually held at the NEC in Birmingham each year. Numerous past Level 2 creative media students from NRC have made it to the final over the past five years.

Industry engagement

We have excellent connections with the local creative media industry sectors and welcome a broad range of guest speakers throughout the year. Some of these contacts have resulted in students receiving placement opportunities and eventually permanent jobs with the company.

Achieve Adobe Certified Accreditation (ACA)

Upon successful completion of the one-year programme at Northern Regional College, you will graduate with a BTEC Level 2 Creative Media qualification AND an Adobe Certified Accreditation (ACA).

Adobe products, including Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, InDesign, Animate, Dreamweaver and Premiere Pro, are essential software applications used daily within the creative industry.

This is a fantastic opportunity for everyone seeking progression to higher education or employment within this exciting and ever-developing industry.

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Assessment Methods

All assessment for the course is carried out via coursework, there are no examinations for this qualification. Assessment will be both practical and written, with the practical taking the higher percentage. Students will be assessed individually but, just like the creative media industry, you will also learn how to work as part of a team. Students will be given projects which reflect industry needs which helps to ready them for future employment.

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Course Update

Please note that due to ongoing major campus construction projects courses at Ballymena, Coleraine and Ballymoney may be relocated to alternative suitable locations as required.

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Applicants should have 4 GCSE's at Grade D-E or above, or other relevant qualifications.  In circumstances where there are more applications for the course than there are places available, the College reserves the right to ask for higher grades.

If you are accepted onto this course without a Grade C or above in Maths and/or English you will be required to complete the relevant Essential Skills qualification. This will be a compulsory part of your timetable.

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There are plenty of different pathways and progression routes after studying our level 2 course. Many of our former students choose to continue their studies on our award-winning level 3 Extended Diploma in Creative Media Practice. This then allows them to progress to university or to pursue a Level 5 HND in Creative Media at one of our other campuses.

Level 2 vocational studies provide an opportunity to get a real head start in an exciting and innovative sector which is growing constantly.

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