City of Westminster College works hard to ensure young people make informed choices about both courses and their future career options.
As well as offering advice every weekday at the College and hosting Open Days, Course Advisers regularly visit schools across London to provide guidance to young people considering attending FE colleges.
The College is also involved in a number of special initiatives and yesterday it participated in a unique careers workshop at London’s Piccadilly Theatre.
Offstage Choices – now in its second year – is a showcase of the wide range of jobs available behind the scenes within the fields of theatre, live music and events. It is organised by National Skills Academy Creative & Cultural (NSA), a network that links training providers and industry specialists to ensure career-ready employees for the creative industries. City of Westminster College is a Founder College within NSA because of its specialist training in theatre and performance.
Yesterday’s event – one of 25 taking place around the country – gave local school pupils the opportunity to meet and experience the roles of lighting and sound, costume, stage management, marketing and front-of-house. They also took a backstage tour to get a feel for a major London theatre, participated in a Q&A panel discussion and – as the icing on the cake – met Matthew Goodgame, currently playing Kenickie in Grease.
Robert West, Education & Curriculum Manager of the NSA, says: “This nationwide series of events will enable young people to discover career routes, try some of the jobs and meet industry professionals. By linking these venues and potential employers with our Further Education Colleges young people will also find out about training and support to get into jobs and careers in their area.”
Deputy Director of Faculty for Arts Lyndon Sly represented the College at the event and participated in the Q&A as a panel member. He says: “This was an exciting opportunity for young people to see inside a major theatre and understand more about the wide range of career options within the creative industries.
“As an NSA Founder College, we work closely with a network of professionals to ensure that our students receive the best training and can move into rewarding and creative careers.”