How to Get Into Arts and Entertainment Through VET
By
Year13
Getting your foot in the door of the arts and entertainment industries is no small feat. It’s highly competitive, there are unlimited pathways and none of them are necessarily the right or wrong way to go. While entry into the arts can be intimidating, a VET course can be a good place to start.
What is VET?
VET stands for Vocational Education and Training, which is an education pathway that’s focused on gaining practical skills and providing you with a nationally-recognised qualification, ranging from a Certificate I to Certificate IV, to a Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate.
A VET course is similar to a university degree in that you spend a chunk of your time getting qualified for a real-world career, but it’s generally shorter, less theoretical and more hands-on, and more work-focused. You can complete a VET course at TAFE or another registered training organisation (RTO). Statistically, those who complete a VET course, have higher rates of employment and, on average, get paid slightly better than university graduates.
Why is VET relevant to the industry?
VET courses offer a whole bunch of very specific training for those who want to develop a niche skillset. Artists and entertainers do all kinds of jobs, from graphic design to illustration to performing to video editing.
This is where VET comes in: VET courses provide the opportunity to explore and understand the creative arts in a group setting. Universities offer bachelor’s degrees in arts but VET courses tend to be more specified to a particular job title. VET courses also tend to have more variety in length, taking anywhere from a couple of weeks to four years for an apprenticeship. In considering VET, you want to ask yourself how long it will take, how much it will cost, how practical it is and the employment outcomes afterwards.
What are some courses that I can do?
One of the most appealing parts of VET is that the courses are generally shorter and cheaper than a bachelor’s degree. Rather than doing a 3- or 4-year degree, the tendency is to do a short course in order to get a taste or a qualification and then learn more while working. As you progress through your career, you can then upskill with more VET training. Alternatively, many people turn to a VET course before or after they’ve completed a university degree in order to enhance their skills and gain more practical experience. Here are a few examples of training courses, from entry level to advanced:
- Certificate II in Printing and Graphic Arts (Entry Level)
This course provides an introduction to the practical elements of printing and graphic arts. It’s a 6-month, entry-level program that could see you working as desktop publishing assistant, a screen-printer or a graphic artist. Over 90% of those who complete the course are satisfied with it and 47% of those who were unemployed before the course got employed after they completed it.
- Certificate IV in Musical Theatre (Trade Level)
This course is all about the intricacies of performing arts, including dancing, singing and acting. It’s a year-long program that covers the basics of production and performance in a number of different genres. More than 81% of graduates are satisfied with this course and 48% received job related benefits from training.
- Advanced Diploma of Visual Arts (Advanced Level)
This course is suited to those who’ve already got a bit of experience in visual arts and want to expand their practice. There are plenty of mediums to explore, including ceramics, digital art, glasswork, drawing and illustration, jewellery making, painting, photomedia, printmaking, public art, sculpture, textiles and wood design. It’s a year-long program that is designed to lead to any number of opportunities, including commercial art practice and community art projects.
What are the career outcomes?
The job titles associated with arts and entertainment are many and far reaching. Here are a couple of examples to kick start your imagination:
Actor, radio producer, music curator, music programmer, musician, sound technician, videographer, video editor, photographer, cartoonist, illustrator, designer, events coordinator, event, planner, screenwriter, painter, sculptor, potter, ceramic artist, visual artist.
For more info on courses and career paths, check out the My Skills website.
Students studying arts and entertainment can cop a fair bit but Sebastian proves that if you’ve got big dreams as a kid to be creative, then you can make them happen through VET. He’s worked on things like Vivid Sydney and Aussie TV series’ so he’s definitely worth checking out if you’re keen on the Arts and Entertainment industry.
