Rockschool music qualifications are tailor-made for the contemporary musician.
Creative Industries Practitioners
RSL Awards’ Level 3 – 5 qualifications for Creative Industries Practitioners have been designed to mirror the collaborative nature of work in the creative industries. At Level 3 cohorts can undertake a mixed programme of units combining elements of music, media and performing arts. At Levels 4 & 5 there is an opportunity for advanced skill development alongside a programme of self and career development.
Vocational Qualifications
Creative Industries Practitioners
Our Creative Industries Practitioners qualifications equip learners with the skills to develop realistic employment opportunities in creative industries or to progress onto Higher Education.
Adapt your curriculum delivery with this qualification across Music, Performing Arts, Digital Media, or Business, to provide your students with a unique Creative Industries education that mimics real-world scenarios, truly preparing them for a life in the Arts.
“At WaterBear The College of Music, we are always encouraged when a new applicant arrives through the door with an RSL qualification under their belts. The RSL programmes are super practical, relevant to the modern creative sector and have academic rigour too. As a result, graduates from these programmes are well placed to progress into higher education and have all the foundations for a successful career in the creative sector.”
– Bruce Dickinson, Founder Director, Waterbear
How it works
Get started with RSL’s Vocational Qualifications in three simple steps…
01
Download the syllabus pack
Download the syllabus pack to review the requirements and processes for this qualification suite.
02
Build your qualification
Tailor your courses to your learners needs and centre’s expertise with our Core Units and innovative Optional Units.
03
Submit centre approval application
Ready to deliver? Submit your centre approval application via our website
Pathway Information
The Creative Industries Practitioners suite of qualifications focuses delivery on practical performance, creation, production and events, as well as the development of business knowledge and opportunities to explore creative industry entrepreneurship through learner-centred activity.
At Level 3 our Creative Industries specification allows you to build a qualification utilising any of the units in our Music, Performing Arts and Creative Media syllabuses.
To give learners a full understanding of the creative industries, learners undertake mandatory units in up to four areas including Career Development, Industry Projects, Contextual and Income Streams.
Once the mandatory content is selected, optional units can be selected from a range of 250+ units.
Unit Families
To aid unit selection, core units have been selected from the qualifications listed above and grouped into the four different families below:
Career Development
The aim of each of these units is to allow learners to plan their development within the creative industries and contextualise this knowledge back into their own practice. The units suit individual consultation and feedback on both career planning and evidence of implementing a plan.
Industry Project
Industry Project units give an opportunity for the learner to undertake a project in a coherent, confident and assured manner, demonstrating a range of skills and technical knowledge that have been developed during their study.
Contextual
Units in this family will include opportunities for learners to analyse styles and types of influence (historical and contemporary, subliminal, mimetic, cultural, social etc). They will develop their understanding of the themes, ideas and practices associated with their creative discipline, and to be able to evaluate and analyse influences on their personal style.
Creative Industries Income Streams
The units in this family have been chosen to enable learners to recognise and reproduce various income streams available in the current environment and to appraise the commercial opportunities presented by various income streams in relation to an individual area of the creative industries.
Optional & Skills Units
At Levels 4 and 5 the Creative Industries specification offers a comprehensive programme of skill and knowledge development applicable to performers and creatives across the creative space.
Through a process of portfolio creation whilst developing an understanding of income streams, self-care, and career development, learners complete industry relevant projects.
Across both specifications unit choice and flexibility of assessment allow cross-arts collaboration to flourish and a breadth of understanding to be developed amongst learners with diverse skillsets and interests.
Unit Selection
At Level 4 and 5 Units follow a defined structure, mapping out a personal and professional development pathway. The number of units a learner undertakes is set by the qualification they are registered on, ranging from a one unit ‘Certificate’ through to a six unit ‘Extended Diploma’. Learners at Level 5 may also opt to take our ‘Teaching Pathway’ in which unit content varies to include a ‘Teaching in Practice’ unit.
Qualifications At A Glance
RSL endeavour to provide qualifications at each level which will fit with the needs of centres and learners. We design qualifications which learners can build upon, and that centres can timetable into a wider programme of study or as a full-time course. Our programme of diploma sized qualifications at Level 3 will accommodate the varied range of practical experience the Creative Industries specification is designed to deliver. At Levels 4&5 we have a range of qualifications from 100glh-600glh for different learners needs.
Level 3 Creative Industries qualifications
| Qualification titles | Guided Learning Hours (GLH) | Total Qualification Time (TQT) | Core units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma for Creative Industries Practitioners | 540 | 900 | 2 |
| Level 3 Diploma for Creative Industries Practitioners | 720 | 1200 | 3 |
| Level 3 Extended Diploma for Creative Industries Practitioners | 1080 | 1800 | 4 |
Level 4 Creative Industries qualifications
| Qualification Titles | Guided Learning Hours (GLH) | Total Qualification Time (TQT) | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSL Level 4 Certificate for Creative Industries Practitioners | 100 | 200 | 20 |
| RSL Level 4 Extended Certificate for Creative Industries Practitioners | 200 | 400 | 40 |
| RSL Level 4 Subsidiary Diploma for Creative Industries Practitioners | 300 | 600 | 60 |
| RSL Level 4 Diploma for Creative Industries Practitioners | 400 | 800 | 80 |
| RSL Level 4 Extended Diploma for Creative Industries Practitioners | 600 | 1200 | 120 |
Level 5 Creative Industries qualifications
| Unit Titles | Guided Learning Hours (GLH) | Total Qualification Time (TQT) | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSL Level 5 Certificate for Creative Industries Practitioners | 100 | 200 | 20 |
| RSL Level 5 Extended Certificate for Creative Industries Practitioners | 200 | 400 | 40 |
| RSL Level 5 Subsidiary Diploma for Creative Industries Practitioners | 300 | 600 | 60 |
| RSL Level 5 Diploma for Creative Industries Practitioners | 400 | 800 | 80 |
| RSL Level 5 Extended Diploma for Creative Industries Practitioners | 600 | 1200 | 120 |
Why RSL Vocational Qualifications?
Developed in collaboration with industry experts to reflect the fast-moving Creative Industries sector, RSL’s VQs are practically-focused, and contain a wide range units and criteria accurately mapping to specific careers. They provide engaging assessment opportunities for learners that focus on the application of practical and/or technical skills.
Recognition
All Level 3 qualifications carry up to 168 UCAS points allowing opportunities for HE progression, and Level 4/5 qualifications can be topped up at a variety of the UK’s specialist HE providers.
Flexible Choice
We have a huge range of units to choose from at Level 3 providing unrivalled flexibility of delivery. The range of optional units are designed to equip learners with a well-rounded understanding of the Creative Industries.
Fair and Practical Assessment
All assessment is based around practical and/or technical skills and knowledge applicable to roles in the Creative Industries. Learners are graded according to where the majority of their grading sits, resulting in holistic, best-fit assessment.
Current
No set works, or genre/repertoire restrictions, learners can study the genres they are interested in, allowing deeper focus on content that excites them.
Tailored Delivery
Build a course that’s tailored to your learners’ needs whilst maximising your centre’s resources and expertise.
Funding
RSL has a huge range of qualifications at each level which are funded for delivery in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. RSL qualifications are also available for funded delivery in Scotland in certain settings at certain levels. Get in touch for more info.
Help, Support & Quality Assurance
You will get access to RSL’s Help & Support portal, containing multiple QA resources, guidance documents, templates and exemplar materials, plus footage from previously recorded CPD events.
Centres have contact with two allocated RSL Quality Assurance representatives from the start of delivery all the way through to certification. These named contacts will offer the following services to support centre delivery:
- Annual centre visit – a supportive process designed to monitor and review the way in which qualifications are planned and delivered
- A point of contact for subject-specific academic queries throughout delivery
- Building of a strong relationship throughout the duration of the qualification, resulting in moderation of your learner evidence with a known, named contact already familiar with your centre
UCAS Points
RSL Awards’ Vocational Qualifications aid progression into Higher Education. We have a huge range of qualifications at Level 3 that carry UCAS Points. Click the button below to see the allocation of UCAS Points per qualification size and suite.
Changing Awarding Organisations
Moving over to RSL Awards Vocational Qualifications is easy! Just follow these three simple steps…
1. Submit a preliminary application form.
This is found here. Once you have submitted this, our team will be in touch with some login credentials for our website, along with details of the next step.
2. Prepare your full centre approval application for submission.
Our centre approval application pack details all supporting documents that need to be included, along with a guidance document for completing the form itself.
3. Approval complete!
If the application is complete our team will be in touch to inform you of your new status as an approved RSL Awards delivery centre!
Progression and Support
Learners completing a Level 3, 4 or 5 Creative Industries Practitioners qualification may progress on to a higher level of associated study in a Creative Industries related programme at any one of the many Universities offering degrees in these disciplines. Those holding a Level 4 or 5 qualifications may be able to top up to complete a degree and those holding the Level 3 qualification may be able to continue on to RSL’s Level 4 or 5 qualification or to continue their studies on a degree programme. In the field of popular music alone there are close to 300 Degree Courses available. There are 559 courses available at 123 Universities in the field of Performing Arts and there are countless options across media and other Creative Industries disciplines.
Learners completing a Level 3, 4 or 5 qualification may also wish to progress in to a portfolio career in their chosen sector, and they will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to take steps towards their chosen career, having covered such disciplines as Creative Industries Income Streams, Portfolio Career Development and Industry Showcasing or at Level 3 Planning for a Freelance Career and Planning for a Career in Music/Creative and Performing Arts/Creative Digital Media.
These qualifications share some commonalities with our Creative Practitioners Qualifications in that they both include industry relevance and career development at their core, however the Creative Industries Practitioners qualifications offer a greater focus on skill development for the artist and less concentration on promotion and marketing functions.
Prospective learners considering enrolment on a Creative Industries Practitioners qualification may also wish to consider a Higher Apprenticeship or a Creative Industries Degree Programme in any of the areas outlined above.
Top-up Qualifications
Topping Up with an RSL Creative Industries Practitioners Qualification: RSLs Level 4 and 5 qualifications for aspiring artists, entrepreneurs and creative industries professionals offer unique pathways for professional development.
Our qualifications are designed for learners seeking an alternative option to traditional HE, whereby they can receive expert mentoring while honing their craft. However, it may be that when a learner completes a Level 4 or 5 qualification they decide that their desired next step is to continue to study in year 2 or 3 of an undergraduate degree. On this basis, RSL has pioneered top-up routes into continuing study at some of the UK’s most progressive specialist providers of Creative Industries HE.
WaterBear offers BA (Hons) degree and master’s courses made for today’s musicians, artists and industry professionals. WaterBear are all about smaller class sizes, flexible course delivery, bespoke one-to-one mentoring and exclusive work experience and career development opportunities. They are based in the heart of Brighton, one of the UK’s most exciting cities for music and the arts, and are soon to open the second of the UK based campuses, in Sheffield. They also have a range of online distance learning courses too. WaterBear is a College of Falmouth University, a pioneer in creative industries education, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Downloads
Here are our Creative Industries Practitioner syllabuses available to download.
Qualification Details and Registration Fees
Our qualification registration fees are the same for both UK and International delivery centres. These fees apply to each registered learner, with the fee dependent on the size of qualification they are registered on.
Please note: fees listed are for the current academic year.
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Please Note: Fees listed are for the current academic year.
Performance Tables
As well as being industry relevant, we understand the need for our qualifications to be recognised by the Department for Education. That’s why we’ve ensured we have specialist Vocational Qualifications approved at all levels.
David Langlands – Seaham High School
“I would recommend RSL to any school or college. RSL are a breath of fresh air in comparison to other awarding bodies as RSL take a pragmatic, sensible approach to QA and offer genuine support!”
Register your Interest today
Want to deliver Vocational Qualifications?
Moving over to RSL Awards Vocational Qualifications is easy. To get started, click on the button below.
