Bit of constructive help

[topsy100]

Apologies if this is in the wrong place. I run a level 3 BTEC course in technical support for events at a college in the north east. I struggle for students. Does anyone have any brilliant marketing ideas please? We all know the industry is in need of technicians but all my best efforts, social media, emails to schools, newspaper exposure etc seems to be if no avail. I need to know if anyone has any bright ideas please.

[Jivemaster]

Industry contacts is the usual benefit. Students need to go into work as a direct result of your course, paid work at OK rates for a junior. If students see your course as a way into a salary it's more interesting than if they don't.

[topsy100]

I have loads of industry contacts and contacts ant uni's this is about getting the students to me in first place. I promote the course very much as a route into industry as well as a route into uni. But thanks anyway

[paulears]

I suspect your real problem is simply the feeder schools not promoting this their end first, and the second, and perhaps most important question is what is your music and performing arts department like? The BTEC pathway was kind of invented to enable the colleges who run music and performing arts programmes to do more complex shows. It took the old technical pathways and extended them. Quite a few students who had performing arts and music interests got 'diverted' into the support area, once they realised actually performing didn't really work for them. So if your music and Perf arts is also struggling with numbers, your technical events pathway suffers by default.

 

I'm not sure that marketing for these kind of people works that well at all. They need to be close, as they can't drive, and now school technical input into drama is a joke, I don't think there is any interest there. You tried the amdram societies I expect, along with youth drama groups? My summer venue used students from my old college every year, before they went to uni, and then these people started coming back for the summer, and no new people were coming in at 16+ Last year was the first year they could supply nobody at all. This year is the same. No kids who want to do our kind of thing. I suspect it's a kind of cycle, and we're now in the trough. I doubt advertising does any good whatsoever because the kids just aren't there.

[topsy100]

I suspect your real problem is simply the feeder schools not promoting this their end first, and the second, and perhaps most important question is what is your music and performing arts department like? The BTEC pathway was kind of invented to enable the colleges who run music and performing arts programmes to do more complex shows. It took the old technical pathways and extended them. Quite a few students who had performing arts and music interests got 'diverted' into the support area, once they realised actually performing didn't really work for them. So if your music and Perf arts is also struggling with numbers, your technical events pathway suffers by default.

 

I'm not sure that marketing for these kind of people works that well at all. They need to be close, as they can't drive, and now school technical input into drama is a joke, I don't think there is any interest there. You tried the amdram societies I expect, along with youth drama groups? My summer venue used students from my old college every year, before they went to uni, and then these people started coming back for the summer, and no new people were coming in at 16+ Last year was the first year they could supply nobody at all. This year is the same. No kids who want to do our kind of thing. I suspect it's a kind of cycle, and we're now in the trough. I doubt advertising does any good whatsoever because the kids just aren't there.

 

yes I believe it is a feeder school problem not convinced the message gets across to the students

[paulears]

Based on my own awful experiences in schools this year - GCSE drama has nothing whatsoever to do with what BTEC thinks it does! No wonder the quality of the people entering FE in these subjects is so bad. Music has the same problem. I haven't been in any school where lighting and sound has been a proper 'option'. Sound is simply louder versions of their iphones. Grabbing music tracks from youtube, and playing them. All the aspects of sound design and technology are not covered whatsoever. Same with lights. Lights are just coloured or white and give an alternative to fluorescent or daylight. I have not yet seen a microphone or anyone who could identify a Fresnel. No surprise that they are unprepared for your course.

[TomHoward]

Out of interest, we take students thought the technical option of Drama GCSE, and it's impressive how out of date the specification is. The sound option asks for a copy of the master tapes.

 

I say take students - take around one student every two years.

[Weir69]

Just to add my personal experience with schools. Some of the issue is perhaps the industry's perception by those who run schools. In one case the deputy head at my school spoke to me in his office about where I would like to head after school. I told him my ambitions and he politely dismissed them and said I should do something more conventional.

Not only do schools not promote courses but seem to discourage pupils too.

 

Interestingly we where taught what a fresnel was back in my third year (Scottish high school) even going as far as explaining the purpose of safety chain.

[Jivemaster]

Some people cannot imagine people working in technical theatre, if they can imagine it they maybe don't want you to go into something with a lifetime of casual hours on probably less than minimum wage. Good techs get OK money but average ones get trash salaries.