16+ Electrical Qualifications

[Psychedelic Theatre]

Hi there,

 

I am 16 and in my GCSE year (year 11) at school.

 

I am very interested and keen in getting into the lighting/theatre/entertainment industry in any way possible after college and University. I am also rather interested in taking a gap year before going to University working at my school as a Drama/Theatre Technician.

 

I am writing this post in order to enquire about qualifications which I could get next year, I'm looking specifically at Electrical/Electrical Installation courses.

 

At my local college they offer several courses;

 

FULL TIME

City & Guilds 2330 Electro-technical Certificate

NVQ Level 1 Performing Engineering Operations - Electrical Installation

NVQ Level 2 Performing Engineering Operations - Electrical Installation

 

PART TIME (preferable)

City & Guilds 2381 Requirements for Electrical Installations BS 7671

City & Guilds 2391 Inspection, Testing and Certification of Electrical Installations

 

I would like to know what these courses/certificates allow me to do either in the home, or in a public place, such as a theatre or school. I have searched on Google but cannot find this information.

 

Are any/all of these qualifications suitable and relevant for working in Theatre, using Lighting & Sound equipment?

 

 

If there are any other qualifications or certificates you could recommend I would really appreciate it!!

 

 

Many thanks,

 

Tim Peacock

[Dj Dunc]

Im in exactly the same situation as you mate, and looking at colleges at the minute. I am looking at a BTEC technical theatre (level 3) and a BTEC music technology (level 3)(if I choose this, I will do an A-level music tech at the same time

[paulears]

You need to look verty carefully at overlap - if you are crafty, then you can find loads of common areas and do one bit of work and use it more than once. Ths also depend on your teachers.

 

So if you do BTEC music tech (presumably a National Award) you probably will have to do a performance at some stage. So you might find that you can use the set up and preparation as part of the technical theatre programme, and the performance itself for music tec - less work. clever, eh?

 

A level music tec is a bit different. You opt to do a sequencing or recording pathway in the AS year, then swap round in the second. You will get better grades if you have good keyboard skills - if you are a tab reading, self taught guitarist, or worse, a bass player (hate bassist!) you will struggle to get the set work done for the exam unless you put lots of hours in. You have to learn about music from the western classical tradition - as in classical, real music. You need to really be grade 5 theory standard as you have to analyse music from a proper musical perspective "the piece ends with a suspended 4th chord that does not resolve, leading to a sense of tension - before it moves up to chord IV". You also have to know something about the historic and social circumstances that were prevalent at the time your selected classical piece was written - so water music, fireworks, russian revolution etc come to mind.

 

In the second year you might get to do work on music for the moving image- as in listening and composing film style music. The A level will take more time, and has real exams and a large coursework component to supplied rules. The BTEC revolves around grades collected as you progress-mainly for 'doing things' and collecting evidence. You will need to be good at running two different syetms in your head at the same time. You will be busy.

 

The only downside I can see is that these 3 qualifications all at the same time do mean less depth to the courses, as there are so many things that must be done. If you did a National Diploma over 2 years, this equates well as it has the same notional value - but you are doing the same general course throughout, so you might do something in the first month and maybe get a pass. there will be time for you to do the same thing again at some point in the two years, so the pass could get upped to a distinction as you progress. Doing 3 subjects at the same time means there is less duplication and the opportunities to do things twice may not happen!

 

This could help a bit?

Paul

[Stewart Newlands]

PART TIME (preferable)

City & Guilds 2381 Requirements for Electrical Installations BS 7671

City & Guilds 2391 Inspection, Testing and Certification of Electrical Installations

 

You should note that these are aimed at people who have a lot of electrical experience, and are not beginners courses, they are more for people who have served apprenticeship's as electrical contractors for a few years but not been to college or for Electrical Engineers who have been to College / University who wish to enter the hands on contracting sector post qualification.

 

They are also taken as regulation updates by working electrictians with many years experience.

[Psychedelic Theatre]

Thanks Stewart, that's useful to know!

 

Are the other courses suitable at all?

 

 

I am looking at doing a course as an evening class, as I wish to stay at my school for 6th form. I'm looking at doing English Literature, Physics, Design Technology, and Philosophy and Ethics. I am then looking at going on to do an English Lit. & Theatre Studies double honours degree. The Theatre Studies will be more the technical side of theatre, from my research so far Bangor and Liverpool offer good technical theatre studies courses combined with English Lit.

 

Any other courses you could suggest?

 

Tim

[mikienorth]

The NVQ stuff you mention may be useful, but I'd recommend looking for an apprenticeship, purley because that is the way I did things. I was unlucky and didn't get an apprenticeship within this industry, although they are out there if you look hard enough.

I was apprenticed to an electrical contractor through JTL and becam a fully qualified time served electrician, which is really the only way to go if you ever want to work properly as an electrician. Eventually in the future it may be that we all have to be qualified in this way, but it is by no means the state of things yet, but it is in Television, or so I am led to believe by an old ex-GTV friend of mine (he was apprenticed to them).

 

What my qualifications do mean however, is that should I ever be out of work in this industry, I can very quickly pick up contracting work on a building site, or for a testing company, or for an electrical maintenance company, typically within a week, and sometimes within 24 hours of deciding I need to earn money any old way, instead of this way, I am in work due to my qualifications.

 

The qualifications I finished my apprenticeship with were NVQ's but were made up of six years of on the job training (experience) and a raft of C&G certs, BTEC stuff, CIEH things, and some AM1 & AM2 tests, that are most important to any electrical employer.

 

An apprenticeship gives you experience to put on the CV along with the qualifications, proving you can do the job, not just tell us how you were told to do the job, which is the result of learning only in college, hence jobs almost always asking for experience.

 

Hope this helps.

[paulears]

I am looking at doing a course as an evening class, as I wish to stay at my school for 6th form. I'm looking at doing English Literature, Physics, Design Technology, and Philosophy and Ethics. I am then looking at going on to do an English Lit. & Theatre Studies double honours degree. The Theatre Studies will be more the technical side of theatre, from my research so far Bangor and Liverpool offer good technical theatre studies courses combined with English Lit.

 

Tim

Something is a bit odd here. A bit of a mismatch. The other thing is you want to also do an evening class as extra to all this. The spread of the courses you are looking at has some common elements to a career in the entertainments industry - but Pilosophy and ethics, and to a lesser extent English Lit are a bit unusual. Theatre studies is pretty useless, to be honest - very little in it is of real use to the industry, but it is an A level I suppose. The feeling at the moment is that any subject with the word "studies" in it means lots of talking and a quick run through on stilts of the practice. Physics and DT are genuinely useful.

 

Perhaps you could tell us what you want to actually do. Is the idea to be a teacher? This might be more suitable with the subject background.

 

I always try to think with my employer head on. I'm interested in a skill base. Technical theatre and english Lit combined honours says to me "Drama Teacher" - yet you were looking at sparks courses.

 

I suppose I'm saying do you want to become an industry professional, or somebody with a casual understanding of pro theatre who wants to teach it at school. I don't think I even think without industry experience you could be an effective teacher at FE and HE.

 

Interview question.

Where can you see yourself working in 6 years time?

[Psychedelic Theatre]

the reason I have what appears to be almost a mis-match is that I want to keep my options open.

 

My dream is to become a lighting designer/technician in a theatre, or in the music industry. However, I know that it is difficult to get into the industry and don't want to go away and do a specific Lighting Design degree because it may block off other careers if I do not manage to 'get in'.

 

However, I would be happy doing anything in the Theatre, but will put a lot into fulfilling my dream. If I couldn't get into the 'industry proper' I may well consider working as a technician/teacher at a school. However, I can't say I'd want to be a 'teacher' as such. I much prefer working with small groups of people and teaching them well so they gain the necessities and they also learn a bit of what they want to learn so that they stay interested.

 

 

In 6 years time...I'd most likely be coming out of University (If I follow the path I am looking at at the moment) and I'd be trying to work my way into the industry. I am hoping to work at a theatre during Uni so that I have more experience and a way to build up contacts etc. Perhaps would carry on there full time, though this is unlikely in the modern theatrical world as I know it.

 

If that fails, I would be looking to touring companies, theatres, perhaps hire/sales outfits.

 

As I said, I would be happy with anything related to technical theatre. It's a love I have and I really want to spend my life doing it.

 

Tim

[paulears]

The way I see it, and this applies to quite a few BR members, is that you go one of two ways. Get a job outside the industry and spend your spare time doing theatre in an amateur way, with maybe a bit of casual theatre work - or get a job within the industry.

 

I honesty, the pay you can get is better outside in many cases - Rachel, who worked for me was pretty good at college, where I taught her, so common sense said give her work - she was great (as were two others from College). She also started doing pantos - the same company I often work for. Then she stopped, got a job in a bank, and makes more money. To be truthful, lots more money. She told me today she hasn't given theatre up - but money is important.

 

Keeping options open makes sense, but means you could end up a generalist, rather than a specialist. Only you can make the decision as to this being good or bad.

[Psychedelic Theatre]

You speak a lot of sense there I must say!

 

At the moment, I believe that I would rather love living my dream and get less money than be in a job which I don't enjoy as much with lots of money.

 

I think until the end of A-levels I shall keep my options open, and then during a gap year (which I think I am pretty much definately going to do) I shall decide whether I am going to concentrate entirely on theatre or go for a more generalised area.

 

Thanks a lot for your help, I really appreciate it!!

 

Tim

[paulears]

You speak a lot of sense there I must say!

 

At the moment, I believe that I would rather love living my dream and get less money than be in a job which I don't enjoy as much with lots of money.

 

I think until the end of A-levels I shall keep my options open, and then during a gap year (which I think I am pretty much definately going to do) I shall decide whether I am going to concentrate entirely on theatre or go for a more generalised area.

 

Thanks a lot for your help, I really appreciate it!!

 

Tim

 

This may be talking out of turn - but make sure that if you do anything like theatre studies or any other course that has technical options at 6th form, FE or HE colleges, that the technical content is provided in black and white. I'm araid it is still common for these 'options' to be there only for the purposes of providing the technical facilities the 'drama' people need. The reality is that you may have little contact with anybody who really understands it, you pick it up for yourself and have no idea of the quality threshold in what you do. You may well think quite seriously that you are highly skilled, because you have been told so, but find the reality is you know nothing much at all, and some of what you know is wrong. Take care

[Psychedelic Theatre]

Yeah, I'd begun to realise from this thread that the sort of thing you are mentioning here is common-place!

 

I will certainly be very careful when deciding on courses etc!

 

Thanks again